President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team, led by entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and Tesla CEO Elon Musk, is preparing for sweeping [1] changes to the federal government through the newly announced Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Although not technically a federal department, DOGE is tasked with identifying and recommending dramatic reductions in the federal workforce and budget.
Speaking on Fox News’ Sunday Morning Futures, Ramaswamy outlined the ambitious goals of DOGE, which include eliminating entire federal agencies and significantly downsizing the administrative state.
“We expect mass reductions,” Ramaswamy told host Maria Bartiromo. “We expect certain agencies to be deleted outright. We expect mass reductions in force in areas of the federal government that are bloated.”
The 39-year-old biotech entrepreneur added that federal contractors who overbill the government would also face scrutiny. “We expect massive cuts among federal contractors and others who are overbilling the federal government,” he said, emphasizing the need for swift action. “I think people will be surprised by how quickly we’re able to move.”
Will entire agencies be deleted? Answer: yes. pic.twitter.com/QPe5VNGDhr [3]
— Vivek Ramaswamy (@VivekGRamaswamy) November 17, 2024 [4]
During his 2024 Republican primary campaign, Ramaswamy frequently discussed dismantling the “administrative state,” proposing innovative yet controversial methods, such as firing federal workers based on whether their Social Security numbers ended in odd or even digits.
Trump, 78, formally announced the creation of DOGE last week, explaining that the initiative would conclude its work by July 4, 2026. The name DOGE, inspired by the cryptocurrency and meme of the same name, reflects a lighter branding tone but underscores a serious mission.
Ramaswamy argued that the results of the November 5 election provided Trump with a mandate for sweeping reforms. “They haven’t voted for incremental change here this time,” he said. “We have voted for sweeping change, and the voters actually deserve to get it.”
Ramaswamy also highlighted the opportunity to streamline government through executive action, citing past Supreme Court rulings on federal overreach. “Rescind those regulations, pull those regs back, and then that gives us the industrial logic to downsize the size of that administrative state,” he said. “And the beauty of all of this is, that can be achieved just through executive action without Congress.”
DOGE’s ambitious goals have drawn criticism from skeptics. On the campaign trail, Musk suggested the government could reduce its $6.75 trillion budget by about $2 trillion, a figure that exceeds all discretionary spending, including the military’s $1.6 trillion budget for fiscal year 2024.
Elon Musk on D.O.G.E:
“I think we can reduce the annual federal budget by atleast $2 trillion per year. Your tax money is being wasted and the Department of Government Efficiency is going to fix that.” pic.twitter.com/isu5ZHOaGz [5]
— DogeDesigner (@cb_doge) October 27, 2024 [6]
Critics argue that most federal spending is mandatory, covering Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and interest payments on the national debt.
Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.), ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee, took aim at Musk’s America Super PAC for identifying interest payments on the national debt as wasteful spending. “Guess what? You got to pay interest on the debt,” Himes said on CBS News’ Face the Nation. “There is a syndrome where very wealthy people … decide that they’re heart surgeons and capable of running the United States … early returns are not good.”
Musk’s leadership of DOGE comes after his high-profile takeover of Twitter, which he later rebranded as X.
Musk slashed staffing at the social media platform in late 2022, a move that Ramaswamy believes showcases Musk’s ability to deliver dramatic organizational change.
Despite criticism, Ramaswamy expressed confidence in the public’s support for DOGE’s reforms. “I think the public is on our side. Most of the public understands their taxpayer dollars are not being well spent,” he said. “Elon and I aren’t in this for the credit. But I think we’re going to build the consensus to make the kind of deep cuts that haven’t been made for most of our history.”
Ramaswamy and Musk are determined to address what they see as decades of fiscal mismanagement.