Trump announces that Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy will lead a newly created "Department of Government Efficiency."
Trump made the announcement on social media, fulfilling a campaign promise to give Musk sweeping oversight of federal spending.
President-elect Donald Trump named tech billionaire Elon Musk and conservative activist Vivek Ramaswamy on Tuesday to head up a new Department of Government Efficiency, fulfilling a campaign pledge to give Musk sweeping oversight of government spending.
Trump said in a statement on to social media that the department will help "dismantle Government Bureaucracy" and slash excess regulations. The name of the agency, DOGE for short, is a reference to a meme and a cryptocurrency associated with Musk.
Ramaswamy campaigned for president in the Republican primaries on eliminating federal agencies, and his initial targets included the FBI; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Education Department; the Nuclear Regulatory Commission; and the Food and Nutrition Service within the Agriculture Department.
Trump said Tuesday that the new department would exist "outside of Government," giving advice to those in the White House about overhauling federal agencies. The arrangement would also be likely to allow Musk and Ramaswamy to continue working in the private sector and serve without Senate approval.
Trump said he wanted the department to help deliver "drastic change," and he compared its ambitions to those of the World War II project to develop atomic weapons.
"It will become, potentially, 'The Manhattan Project' of our time," Trump said. "Republican politicians have dreamed about the objectives of 'DOGE' for a very long time."
He gave a deadline of July 4, 2026, for the department to conclude its work.
In his broader efforts to pare down the government, Trump could seek to ask Congress give him “presidential reorganization authority” under the to permit him to consolidate, reorganize or eliminate agencies within the executive branch. The last time Congress gave a president such authority was during the Reagan administration.
