Musk and his partner Ramaswamy are quickly finding candidates and consulting experts to plan ambitious cuts to the US government apparatus.
President-elect Donald Trump has appointed billionaire Elon Musk and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy to lead the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), with the ambition to reform the federal government's bureaucracy that he deems overly cumbersome. The deadline for the two billionaires to complete this mission is on 7/4/2026, coinciding with the 250th anniversary of the United States' independence.
Mr. Musk and Ramaswamy spent the past week in Washington and Mar-a-Lago, searching for candidates and consulting experts to establish regulations and operational mechanisms for DOGE. Close sources say they are trying to persuade Russell Vought, whom Mr. Trump chose as the leader of the White House Office of Management and Budget and has a close relationship with Ramaswamy, to join DOGE.
Musk's business empire associates such as investor Antonio Gracias and Boring Company chairman Steve Davis are also involved in planning for DOGE.
In addition, the group also includes friends and leaders of Silicon Valley such as Palantir co-founder Joe Lonsdale, investor Marc Andreessen, fund manager Bill Ackman, and former Uber CEO Travis Kalanick.
Musk, Ramaswamy and their team in Silicon Valley are working to address technical challenges in collecting data on federal officials to serve the government's streamlining plan. Meanwhile, Andreessen will play a connecting role in recruiting talents to join the government machinery.
In an article published by the WSJ last week, Musk and Ramaswamy outlined their vision for using executive power and the legal system to advance efforts to cut federal regulations, budgets and personnel.
"President-elect Trump, Elon Musk, and Vivek Ramaswamy are leading the way in changing the way budget spending is done, by eliminating lobbyists and military contractors to empower ordinary Americans. I look forward to standing alongside them to make this effort," Republican congressman Chip Roy, a long-time advocate for cutting government spending, said.
Two businessmen said they have a plan to consult with Mr. Trump to eliminate "thousands" of government regulations, streamline the federal workforce, and cut $2 trillion in federal budget. This is a very large cut, as the total government spending in the US in 2023 is nearly $7 trillion.
DOGE plans to cut its workforce by demanding an end to remote work that many agencies are adopting. Some of those who have helped Musk cut costs and personnel in his business empire, such as Gracias and Davis, are expected to continue supporting the US billionaire at DOGE.
Thank you, former Tesla board member, for supporting Mr. Musk in the restructuring of social network X after acquiring the company at the end of 2022. Davis also oversaw efforts to cut expenses at X. In Musk's orbit, Davis is known as a creative individual with ambitious goals.
In recent weeks, Musk's friends have introduced him to many potential employees and advisers for DOGE. Some long-time government experts say they hope the two DOGE leaders will listen to more opinions from officials who are pushing to change the operations of the US government, instead of ignoring them.
"Only seasoned officials understand what works and what needs to be eliminated. But DOGE leadership needs to listen to them when doing so," said Jennifer Pahlka, a senior researcher at the Niskanen Center research organization.
Last week, Republican members of Congress supported Musk and Ramaswamy by appointing Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene as the leader of the House Oversight Subcommittee on DOGE Government Performance. Meanwhile, Representative Stephanie Bice introduced the Cross-Subsidy Reduction Act to track and eliminate duplicate federal grant applications.
DOGE leadership has not consulted with lawmakers responsible for budget issues in the National Assembly. However, Congressman Tom Cole, who opposes budget deficits, said he is looking forward to discussing the government's downsizing plan with the two billionaires.
Senators also believe that the two DOGE leaders will consult their opinions. "I think we can support each other. We can help them consider some issues, while they will help us in other areas," said Senator Shelley Moore Capito.
However, DOGE is not a government agency, and any of their actions face many legal and practical barriers. Richard J. Pierce, a professor of administrative law at George Washington University, said the WSJ comment showed that both Musk and Ramaswamy did not fully understand federal law, which requires a strict process to repeal existing regulations.
Mr. Trump wants DOGE to complete the federal machine simplification program before 7/4/2026, but the process of eliminating federal regulations often takes 2-3 years, according to Professor Pierce. Two DOGE leaders believe that Mr. Trump could sign an executive order to halt the enforcement of regulations, but any order could be overturned by the court.
Musk and Ramaswamy have led some recent Supreme Court rulings on federal regulations, saying they could pave the way for their efforts. However, Professor Pierce noted that the Supreme Court may find it difficult to fully endorse the ambitions that DOGE pursues.
Some experts argue that DOGE's streamlining ambitions could have negative impacts and cause chaos if implemented massively on a large scale without taking into account potential obstacles.
"The ambition to speed up the process and cut everything suggests that DOGE leaders will do something far-reaching, but they will face bureaucratic processes or lengthy litigation. Creating years of regulatory limbo in sectors will not be an effective way to boost business investment," said Tobin Marcus, head of U.S. policy and politics at Wolfe Research in New York.
However, DOGE's plan to streamline its operations may become clearer in the coming days and many people are optimistic about the plan.
"It would be a mistake to stubbornly believe that DOGE will fail, once both Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy are ready to start," said James Fishback, co-founder of investment firm Azoria Partners and long-time friend of Ramaswamy.
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Elon Musk Races to Build a Plan to Streamline the US Government
Musk and his partner Ramaswamy are quickly finding candidates and consulting experts to plan ambitious cuts to the US government apparatus. President-elect Donald Trump has appointed billionaire Elon Musk and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy to lead the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), with the ambition to reform the federal government's bureaucracy that he deems overly cumbersome. The deadline for the two billionaires to complete this mission is on 7/4/2026, coinciding with the 250th anniversary of the United States' independence. Mr. Musk and Ramaswamy spent the past week in Washington and Mar-a-Lago, searching for candidates and consulting experts to establish regulations and operational mechanisms for DOGE. Close sources say they are trying to persuade Russell Vought, whom Mr. Trump chose as the leader of the White House Office of Management and Budget and has a close relationship with Ramaswamy, to join DOGE. Musk's business empire associates such as investor Antonio Gracias and Boring Company chairman Steve Davis are also involved in planning for DOGE. In addition, the group also includes friends and leaders of Silicon Valley such as Palantir co-founder Joe Lonsdale, investor Marc Andreessen, fund manager Bill Ackman, and former Uber CEO Travis Kalanick. Musk, Ramaswamy and their team in Silicon Valley are working to address technical challenges in collecting data on federal officials to serve the government's streamlining plan. Meanwhile, Andreessen will play a connecting role in recruiting talents to join the government machinery. In an article published by the WSJ last week, Musk and Ramaswamy outlined their vision for using executive power and the legal system to advance efforts to cut federal regulations, budgets and personnel. "President-elect Trump, Elon Musk, and Vivek Ramaswamy are leading the way in changing the way budget spending is done, by eliminating lobbyists and military contractors to empower ordinary Americans. I look forward to standing alongside them to make this effort," Republican congressman Chip Roy, a long-time advocate for cutting government spending, said. Two businessmen said they have a plan to consult with Mr. Trump to eliminate "thousands" of government regulations, streamline the federal workforce, and cut $2 trillion in federal budget. This is a very large cut, as the total government spending in the US in 2023 is nearly $7 trillion. DOGE plans to cut its workforce by demanding an end to remote work that many agencies are adopting. Some of those who have helped Musk cut costs and personnel in his business empire, such as Gracias and Davis, are expected to continue supporting the US billionaire at DOGE. Thank you, former Tesla board member, for supporting Mr. Musk in the restructuring of social network X after acquiring the company at the end of 2022. Davis also oversaw efforts to cut expenses at X. In Musk's orbit, Davis is known as a creative individual with ambitious goals. In recent weeks, Musk's friends have introduced him to many potential employees and advisers for DOGE. Some long-time government experts say they hope the two DOGE leaders will listen to more opinions from officials who are pushing to change the operations of the US government, instead of ignoring them. "Only seasoned officials understand what works and what needs to be eliminated. But DOGE leadership needs to listen to them when doing so," said Jennifer Pahlka, a senior researcher at the Niskanen Center research organization. Last week, Republican members of Congress supported Musk and Ramaswamy by appointing Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene as the leader of the House Oversight Subcommittee on DOGE Government Performance. Meanwhile, Representative Stephanie Bice introduced the Cross-Subsidy Reduction Act to track and eliminate duplicate federal grant applications. DOGE leadership has not consulted with lawmakers responsible for budget issues in the National Assembly. However, Congressman Tom Cole, who opposes budget deficits, said he is looking forward to discussing the government's downsizing plan with the two billionaires. Senators also believe that the two DOGE leaders will consult their opinions. "I think we can support each other. We can help them consider some issues, while they will help us in other areas," said Senator Shelley Moore Capito. However, DOGE is not a government agency, and any of their actions face many legal and practical barriers. Richard J. Pierce, a professor of administrative law at George Washington University, said the WSJ comment showed that both Musk and Ramaswamy did not fully understand federal law, which requires a strict process to repeal existing regulations. Mr. Trump wants DOGE to complete the federal machine simplification program before 7/4/2026, but the process of eliminating federal regulations often takes 2-3 years, according to Professor Pierce. Two DOGE leaders believe that Mr. Trump could sign an executive order to halt the enforcement of regulations, but any order could be overturned by the court. Musk and Ramaswamy have led some recent Supreme Court rulings on federal regulations, saying they could pave the way for their efforts. However, Professor Pierce noted that the Supreme Court may find it difficult to fully endorse the ambitions that DOGE pursues. Some experts argue that DOGE's streamlining ambitions could have negative impacts and cause chaos if implemented massively on a large scale without taking into account potential obstacles. "The ambition to speed up the process and cut everything suggests that DOGE leaders will do something far-reaching, but they will face bureaucratic processes or lengthy litigation. Creating years of regulatory limbo in sectors will not be an effective way to boost business investment," said Tobin Marcus, head of U.S. policy and politics at Wolfe Research in New York. However, DOGE's plan to streamline its operations may become clearer in the coming days and many people are optimistic about the plan. "It would be a mistake to stubbornly believe that DOGE will fail, once both Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy are ready to start," said James Fishback, co-founder of investment firm Azoria Partners and long-time friend of Ramaswamy.