Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy Were Appointed to Head the Department of Government Efficiency. Here’s what you need to know.
November 14, 2024- Trump appointed both Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswany to lead the newly created Department of Government Efficiency, otherwise known as DOGE.
Trump announced the dual appointment in a public statement where he said that the new department, “will pave the way for my Administration to dismantle Government Bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure Federal Agencies.”
Since his appointment, Musk has guaranteed complete transparency in the new department’s actions as stated on X. He also stated that there will be a posted leaderboard featuring “the most insanely dumb spending of your tax dollars. This will be both extremely tragic and extremely entertaining,”
@bbcnews Donald Trump picks Elon Musk to lead a Department of Government Efficiency and “slash” bureaucracy. #DonaldTrump#ElonMusk#USElection#USPolitics#USGovernment#BBCNews
How Will the DOGE Work?
It is still unclear whether this new department will act as an extended arm of government since new government agencies cannot be created without congressional approval.
While the department doesn’t have the authority to make actual spending cuts, it seems that the Musk and Ramaswamy will be taking on more of an advisory role with government budgeting being their main focus.
The department’s initial goal will be to cut $2 trillion from the current government spending budget.
The US spent $6.75 trillion this past fiscal year.
Department of Government Efficiency Critics
The new department has garnered criticism from major political figures. Elizabeth Warren, who secured another term this past year, took a shot at the current state of the new department stating, “The Office of Government Efficiency is off to a great start with split leadership: two people to do the work of one person.”
In a live conversation on MSNBC, Joy Ann Reid and former congressman David Jolly express concerns about the legitimacy of the new department. Jolly would later go on to compare the new department to the Project 2025 movement which President Trump has publicly condemned.
Read more about Project 2025 here.
@msnbc President-elect Donald Trump named tech billionaire Elon Musk and conservative activist Vivek Ramaswamy to head up a new Department of Government Efficiency. The name of the agency, DOGE for short, is a reference to a meme and cryptocurrency associated with Musk. Former Rep. David Jolly tells @Joy Ann Reid that Trump cannot establish a new department without Congress.
Reid also claimed that the new agency will act the federal level, which is false as of now. Whether it will become a lasting government agency is in the hands of Congress.
The department has been given until July 4, 2026, to conclude its work, a date which marks the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
What are the biggest stories trending online today? Read the latest here
Published by HOLR Magazine
Image Credit: @bbcnews TikTok, @msnbc TikTok, @elonmusk__official__ Instagram