Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy are expected to be the co-chairs of a new advisory body within the Trump administration: the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE for short. Its main goal is to cut U.S. federal government spending dramatically, reduce bureaucracy, and consolidate federal agencies. Although DOGE is not technically a Cabinet-level position, it will work together with the Director of the Office of Management and Budget to develop and advance specific legislative reforms. Musk has even announced DOGE’s formation on X.
Musk also plans to reduce the number of federal agencies from 428 to 99, cut $2 trillion from the annual budget, and slim down U.S. government operations. Ramaswamy suggested a 75% reduction in the federal workforce, which would take the number of people currently employed by the government to 1.5 million. This, according to critics, would most probably reduce what most of them see as essential services falling from defense to social welfare.
Trump ally Marjorie Taylor Greene is expected to chair a DOGE subcommittee to explore government layoffs. However, significant skepticism surrounds the feasibility and ethics of these reforms. Musk’s past mass layoffs, including at Twitter (now X), caused operational failures, raising doubts about his ability to execute similar measures on a national scale.
Furthermore, there may be conflicts of interest given Musk’s leadership of DOGE. His businesses, which together are valued at billions of dollars a year, mainly depend on federal contracts, such as SpaceX and Tesla. His ability to impartially supervise choices that affect these agencies is questioned by his detractors.
Despite their ambition, Musk and Ramaswamy’s designs run into ethical and practical problems. Legal professionals draw attention to the ambiguity surrounding DOGE’s adherence to transparency regulations such as the Federal Advisory Committee Act. Although Musk has pledged to make DOGE’s operations publicly available, the details are yet unknown.
DOGE’s success or failure will depend on navigating these conflicts and maintaining public trust. For now, Musk’s vision represents both a bold reimagining of government and a lightning rod for controversy.