Tech magnate Musk and Indian-American entrepreneur and author Vivek Ramaswamy (ex-presidential candidate) to head up Department of Government Efficiency (Doge)

On Tuesday Donald Trump announced that tech magnate Elon Musk and former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy will lead the newly created Department of Government Efficiency (Doge). Notwithstanding the name, the department will not be a government agency. Trump said in a statement that Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy will work from outside the government to offer “advice and guidance” to the White House and will partner with OMB (the Office of Management and Budget) to “drive large scale structural reform, and create an entrepreneurial approach to government never seen before.” He added that the step would shock government systems.

Trump stated the duo “will pave the way for my administration to dismantle government bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure federal agencies”. Posting on X, the social networking site he owns, Musk vowed to document all actions of the department online for “maximum transparency”. “Anytime the public thinks we are cutting something important or not cutting something wasteful, just let us know!” he said, while also promising to keep “a leaderboard for most insanely dumb spending of your tax dollars”. Ramaswamy also offered response to the announcement of his appointment on X. “We will not go gently, @elonmusk”, he stated, attaching an American flag emoji.

It is unclear how the organization will operate. It might come under the Federal Advisory Committee Act, which dictates how external groups that advise the government must function and be accountable to the public. Musk had hard-pressed for a government efficiency department and has since persistently promoted it, highlighting the acronym for the agency: Doge. Trump stated the agency will be carrying out a “complete financial and performance audit of the entire federal government, and making recommendations for drastic reforms”.

Trump believes Doge will “dismantle government bureaucracy” and could in fact be the “Manhattan Project of our time” – a reference to the top-secret effort to develop nuclear weapons during World War Two. Elon Musk’s path from tech magnate to his new position at the very heart of government is perhaps one he himself would never have foreseen 20 years ago. He is expected to have some big, controversial ideas – akin to his tech career – together with his co-pilot Vivek Ramaswamy, whose earlier proposals have included dismantling the department for education and the FBI.