Trump names Musk and Ramaswamy to head new government efficiency department | Donald Trump news

US President-elect Donald Trump has named tech tycoon Elon Musk and former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy as his nominees to lead the so-called Ministry of Government Efficiency, a new body he plans to set up upon his return to the White House.

“Together, these two wonderful Americans will pave the way for my administration to cut government bureaucracy, eliminate excessive regulations, cut wasteful spending and restructure federal agencies,” Trump said in a statement on Tuesday.

“Importantly, we prevent the massive waste and fraud that results from our $6.5 trillion in annual government spending.”

Trump added that under his plan, Musk and Ramaswamy would complete their work by July 4, 2026, the 250th anniversary of the signing of the US Declaration of Independence.

“A smaller government with more efficiency and less bureaucracy would be the perfect gift for America,” Trump said.

A campaign promise

The proposed department appears to have been inspired by a conversation Trump had during the campaign with Musk, one of his most prominent supporters.

On August 13, the two men met for a two-hour live broadcast on Musk's social media platform

“You are the greatest cutter,” Trump replied. “I need an Elon Musk. I need someone who has a lot of strength, courage and cleverness.”

Trump revisited the idea later in the campaign, including in a September appearance at the New York Economic Club.

“I will establish a Government Efficiency Commission tasked with conducting a complete financial and performance audit of the entire federal government and making recommendations for drastic reforms,” Trump said at the time.

It is unclear how the new department will function once it is established. Tuesday's statement said Ramaswamy and Musk would “provide advice and guidance from outside the government.”

Critics point out that the government already has independent, bipartisan oversight agencies that ensure efficiency and conduct audits, including the Government Accountability Office.

Rewarding Trump's supporters

But Trump's announcement on Tuesday appears poised to reward two of his most prominent private-sector supporters.

Musk, a billionaire originally from South Africa, is the founder of electric car maker Tesla, owner of X and head of SpaceX, a rocket building company.

Ramaswamy is now the founder of a pharmaceutical company. He ran against Trump in the Republican primary season earlier this year, but dropped out after finishing fourth in the Iowa caucuses in January. He immediately supported Trump after he suspended his campaign.

Musk's endorsement came months later after Trump faced an assassination attempt at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, in July.

Musk posted a video of a bloodied Trump and then wrote: “I fully support President Trump and hope for his speedy recovery.”

Since then, Musk has donated millions of dollars to Trump's campaign and made public appearances with him, including at a follow-up rally in Butler.

Since Trump won the presidential election on November 5th, Musk has also been a constant presence at the future president's Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida.

DOGE, the acronym for the newly created department, is also the name of the cryptocurrency Musk is promoting.

Drastic change

Since his first successful run for president in 2016, Trump has promised to streamline government and “drain the swamp” – his catchphrase for ridding Washington, DC of unnecessary bureaucracy and corruption.

In Tuesday's announcement, Trump announced “drastic changes” in his second term. He has already promised to close the Education Department, which distributes federal aid, cracks down on discrimination in schools and publishes research on educational attainment.

A future Department of Government Efficiency, Trump explained, would work with the White House to “advance comprehensive structural reforms and develop an entrepreneurial approach to government unlike any before.”

Musk once suggested he could achieve more than $2 trillion in savings if given the power to review federal functions – a sum equivalent to nearly a third of the government's total annual spending.

To illustrate the size and importance of his proposed department, Trump drew a comparison between the new facility and a World War II-era program that developed the atomic bomb.

“It may become the 'Manhattan Project' of our time,” Trump said Tuesday.

Musk was quoted in Trump's press release celebrating the department's impending creation.

“This will send shockwaves through the system and everyone involved in government waste, and that's a lot of people!” he said.