Chicago – November 15, 2024
President-elect Donald Trump has tapped Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy to head what he’s calling the “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE) — an acronym that is an apparent wink to the dog-themed cryptocurrency by the same name that started as a joke and skyrocketed after Musk promoted it.
Trump made the announcement in a statement Tuesday evening, indicating DOGE and its leadership, Musk and Ramaswamy, will focus on regulating government spending.
While it is not yet clear whether this entity will exist within the federal government or outside, an official government agency cannot be created without an act of Congress.
“Together, these two wonderful Americans will pave the way for my Administration to dismantle Government Bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure Federal Agencies – Essential to the ‘Save America’ Movement,” Trump wrote. “I look forward to Elon and Vivek making changes to the Federal Bureaucracy with an eye on efficiency and, at the same time, making life better for all Americans.”
The move by Trump marks another deviation from political tradition in assembling a new administration. It’s also a continuation of Trump’s relationships with Musk and Ramaswamy, businessmen who are both relatively new to politics but have become close allies of the incoming president.
On the campaign trail, Trump spoke of creating a role in the federal government for Musk, who is the richest man in the world and owns Tesla, SpaceX and the social media platform X.
President-elect Trump formalised this vision by creating the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, placing Musk and Ramaswamy at the helm. The acronym, a nod to Musk’s favourite cryptocurrency, underscores their mission to disrupt the traditional approach to government. Trump’s description of DOGE as the “Manhattan Project” for modern governance hints at the scale and urgency of the task ahead: to redefine Washington’s operational framework and increase public accountability. With Musk’s technological expertise and Ramaswamy’s cost-cutting zeal, DOGE aims to dissect federal operations, identify waste, and introduce a culture of efficiency that has rarely been seen in government circles.
What DOGE hopes to achieve
DOGE’s mission is ambitious. With a deadline set for July 4, 2026—the US’s 250th anniversary—the department seeks to deliver a government that operates with private-sector precision. Musk claims potential savings of over $2 trillion, and together with Ramaswamy, the goal is to introduce sweeping reforms that make government spending more transparent and efficient. If successful, DOGE’s work could transform public perception of Washington, marking a milestone in Trump’s vision for a government truly “of the people, by the people, for the people.” However, the challenges are immense, with entrenched bureaucratic systems resistant to change. For Musk and Ramaswamy, the stakes are high, and DOGE stands as a bold experiment that will either set a new standard for public service or reveal the limits of applying business logic to the sprawling federal government.
