US President-elect Donald Trump has selected Tesla and SpaceX founder Elon Musk to lead a newly created initiative aimed at dismantling government bureaucracy.
The project, dubbed the Department of Government Efficiency (Doge), will also see biotech investor Vivek Ramaswamy join forces with Musk to push for large-scale structural reform within the federal government.
Trump’s announcement on Tuesday evening outlined the ambitious goal of the Doge initiative to “dismantle Government Bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure Federal Agencies.” Musk and Ramaswamy will advise the White House on how to drive these changes, specifically targeting $6.5 trillion in annual government spending. The project’s acronym, Doge, refers to Musk’s favorite cryptocurrency, Dogecoin.
Although Doge will not be an official government department—such agencies require Congressional approval—it represents a bold move by the incoming administration to reduce waste and inefficiency across the federal government. Musk, a long-time supporter and mega-donor to Trump’s campaign, has previously called for massive federal spending cuts, including a proposal to slash $2 trillion from the national budget. He has also advocated for eliminating overlapping federal agencies.
In a statement, Trump compared the Doge initiative to the Manhattan Project, the secretive program that developed the first nuclear weapons during World War II. “A smaller Government, with more efficiency and less bureaucracy, will be the perfect gift to America on the 250th Anniversary of The Declaration of Independence,” Trump said, setting a completion date of July 4, 2026, for the initiative’s results.
Musk and Ramaswamy will collaborate with the White House and the Office of Management and Budget to tackle what Trump described as “massive waste and fraud.” Musk’s social media platform, X, echoed his enthusiasm for the initiative, as he posted: “Threat to democracy? Nope, threat to BUREAUCRACY!!!”
Ramaswamy, who ran as a Republican presidential candidate earlier this year before endorsing Trump, also expressed his commitment to the project. He announced that he was withdrawing from consideration for the Ohio Senate seat soon to be vacated by JD Vance to focus on the Doge initiative.
Meanwhile, Ramaswamy’s previous comments on government restructuring are raising eyebrows. While running for president, he promised to fire more than 75% of the federal workforce and close down several key agencies, including the Department of Education, the FBI, and the ATF.
Trump also made other key appointments, including nominating former Texas Congressman John Ratcliffe to head the CIA and Fox News host Pete Hegseth to lead the Department of Defense. Hegseth, a combat veteran with limited government experience, has been a vocal supporter of Trump.
In addition to the announcement of the Doge initiative, Trump’s campaign issued a flurry of press releases to fill key national security positions, including nominating South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem to serve as Secretary of Homeland Security.
The announcement comes amid a surge in the value of Dogecoin, a cryptocurrency boosted by Musk’s public endorsement. With these strategic appointments, the Trump administration is signaling its commitment to reducing government size and inefficiency, setting the stage for a potentially dramatic transformation of the federal bureaucracy.
Chioma Kalu
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