Trump taps Musk, Ramaswamy to lead Department of Government Efficiency that will focus on reducing government spending

By arseniotoledo // 2024-11-17

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President-elect Donald Trump has just appointed tech billionaire Elon Musk and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy to lead a newly proposed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) in a bid to reduce government spending. Trump has indicated that Musk and Ramaswamy will operate outside the confines of the government because DOGE will not actually be a part of the Cabinet of the United States. The creation of a new federal department requires the approval of Congress, which Trump is unlikely to get despite the Republican trifecta in the incoming federal legislature. (Related: Trump names campaign manager and former Big Pharma lobbyist Susie Wiles as his chief of staff.) "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," Trump said in a statement, adding that both Musk and Ramaswamy will be providing "advice and guidance from outside of government." "This will send shockwaves through the system, and anyone involved in government waste, which is a lot of people," said Musk in response to the publishing of the news. "Shut it down," said Ramaswamy in a post on X, quoting a slogan he often used during his short-lived presidential campaign when he called for the elimination of wasteful federal agencies. Trump has previously proposed the creation of a commission that will tackle government efficiency as part of his new economic plans back in September. At the time, he did note that Musk had agreed to lead the department if Trump succeeded in his third run for the presidency. Officially, while Musk and Ramaswamy will be leading the department as co-commissioners, they will only be allowed to act in an advisory manner and will have no executive powers. Trump, who has stated that he believes DOGE can "save trillions of dollars," said that the department's work will conclude no later than July 4, 2026, to coincide with the Semiquincentennial or the 250th anniversary of the signing of the U.S. Declaration of Independence. Trump said the results of DOGE's year-and-a-half of work is "the perfect gift to America."

DOGE could save taxpayers trillions of dollars

The new department is expected to work with the White House and the Office of Management and Budget, according to Trump, to "drive large-scale structural reform, and create an entrepreneurial approach" to government that has never been seen before. Previous statements by both Musk and Ramaswamy indicate their broad desires regarding cutting federal spending. Musk has been quoted as saying that he believes he could cut as much as $2 trillion out of the nation's approximately $6.5 trillion budget. "Your money is being wasted, and the Department of Government Efficiency is going to fix that," said Musk. "We're going to get the government off your back and out of your pocketbook." Meanwhile, Ramaswamy, during his short campaign to be the Republican Party's presidential nominee, has been quoted as saying, that were he to win the White House, he would outright eliminate wasteful federal agencies and lay off thousands of unnecessary federal workers in the process, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Department of Education and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Watch this Nov. 9 episode of "The Tucker Carlson Show" as Carlson interviews Vivek Ramaswamy regarding what a second Trump administration means for the future of America's bloated government bureaucracy. This video is from the Sanivan channel on Brighteon.com.

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DOGE could save taxpayers trillions of dollars

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