Donald Trump has named Elon Musk and former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy to lead a newly created Department of Government Efficiency (Doge), though the organisation will not be an official government agency.
Trump said in a statement on Tuesday that the pair will operate externally to provide “advice and guidance” to the White House and collaborate with the Office of Management and Budget to “drive large scale structural reform, and create an entrepreneurial approach to government never seen before”.
Donald Trump said they would “pave the way for my administration to dismantle government bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure federal agencies”.
Musk, writing on his social media platform X, promised to document all departmental actions online for “maximum transparency” and maintain “a leaderboard for most insanely dumb spending of your tax dollars”.
The operational structure of the organisation remains unclear. It may fall under the Federal Advisory Committee Act, which governs how external advisory groups must operate and maintain public accountability.
As non-federal employees, Musk and Ramaswamy would avoid requirements to disclose assets or divest holdings that could present conflicts of interest.
Musk, who advocated for the department’s creation, has emphasised its acronym Doge, referencing both a Shiba Inu meme and the cryptocurrency Dogecoin he promotes.
Since election day, Dogecoin’s value has more than doubled, whilst Tesla shares have risen about 30 percent.
Trump indicated the initiative would conclude by 4 July 2026, describing a streamlined government as a “gift” for America’s 250th Independence Day anniversary.
Speaking to reporters last month, Musk outlined aims to reduce government spending by £2 trillion.
Experts suggest such cuts could lead to deregulation benefiting Musk’s companies, including Tesla, SpaceX, X and Neuralink.
Public Citizen, a progressive consumer rights organisation, criticised the appointment.
“Musk not only knows nothing about government efficiency and regulation, his own businesses have regularly run afoul of the very rules he will be in position to attack”, said co-president Lisa Gilbert.
Trump had previously indicated Musk would likely serve part-time, citing his existing commitments.
At a September rally in Michigan, Trump said: “I don’t think I can get him full-time because he’s a little bit busy sending rockets up and all the things he does”.
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