President-elect Donald Trump has appointed X CEO and world’s richest man Elon Musk to a newly-formed Department of Government Efficiency, it was revealed on Tuesday. The department will sit outside of the federal government, but will operate in tandem with the Office of Management and Budget. Former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy will also head up the task force.
The pair will be responsible for cutting regulation, excessive spending, and restructuring government agencies. At this early point, it is unclear how they will actually operate, but Trump has stated that the organization will conduct a complete financial and audit of the entire federal government.
Over the last few months, Musk and Trump have frequently alluded to a government efficiency department. For the President-elect, it is expected to form a key component of Project 2025, referred to on its website as an “historic movement…to take down the Deep State and return the government to the people.” For Musk, meanwhile, critics have stated that the appointment represents a conflict of interest, citing concerns that he will may to create a regulatory environment more favorable to his business endeavors.
Trump Says “You’re Hired,” Appoints Musk to DOGE Task Force
Elon Musk has officially been put in charge of a “complete financial and performance audit of the entire federal government,” it was announced on Tuesday. Alongside former presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy, the controversial tech magnate is tasked with cutting excessive spending, bureaucracy, and streamlining the government.
In a reference to his favorite “meme” and cryptocurrency, the 53-year-old has affectionately nicknamed the department “DOGE.” According to Trump, the pair will “pave the way for my administration to dismantle government bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure federal agencies.”
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Posting on X, Musk promised that DOGE will post all of its actions online for “maximum transparency.” He pledged: “Anytime the public thinks we are cutting something important or not cutting something wasteful, just let us know!” He later shared what is presumably an AI-generated mockup of a DOGE logo, featuring a cartoon shiba inu in a spacesuit. One sign that the logo is AI is the US flag being held by the dog, which doesn’t have the correct number of stripes.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 13, 2024
Widespread Confusion Over DOGE Remit
While Trump and his closest confidant are seemingly united in their vision for DOGE, confusion and skepticism reigns in other quarters of the US. To begin with, neither Musk nor Ramaswamy has ever worked in the public sector, and while they have both carried out extensive cuts in the corporate sphere, the government is a different beast.
Unlike Tesla, federal government employees enjoy strong legal protections as enshrined by labor law. This could present a massive stumbling block for DOGE in its quest to streamline various governmental departments.
Elsewhere, the logistics of this organization are sketchy. Musk and Ramaswamy will not be classified as federal workers, meaning they will not be required to disclose their assets, and Trump has said that their work will be completed by 4 July 2026 – which he called a “gift” to the US on its 250th Anniversary. Primarily, they will be tasked with providing “advice and guidance” to “drive large-scale structural reform.”
Next Steps for Musk and Ramaswamy
Now that Musk has the ear of the most powerful man in the world, speculation is abound as to what his motivations are – and what his next move could be.
Dogecoin, which Musk promotes, has more than doubled in value in the last week, while Tesla shares are up by about 30%. The New York Times has reported, meanwhile, that Musk has asked the President-elect to hire SpaceX members as “top government officials.”
Commentators have also posited a version of events where both Musk and Ramaswamy will try to bolster the federal government with those who share their ultra-conservative views. After investing in BuzzFeed earlier this year, the latter was hellbent on hiring Tucker Carlson, a rightwing critic and free speech advocate, for the ailing media company.
