Trump appointed Musk as the main fighter against bureaucracy and waste in the US government

US President-elect Donald Trump has named Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy to lead the new Department of Government Effectiveness (DOGE), which aims to cut excess government spending and regulation and reform bureaucracies.

Image Source: Elon Musk, X

As noted in the statement, DOGE will operate outside of the traditional government system, interacting directly with the White House and the Office of the Budget (OMB), allowing it to avoid bureaucratic restrictions and maintain independence. DOGE is scheduled to close on July 4, 2026; this day, according to Trump, will be a symbolic “gift” to America for its 250th anniversary.

During his election campaign, Trump promised that if he won, he would appoint Musk to head a government efficiency commission to carry out sweeping reforms aimed at “eliminating government bureaucracy, reducing excess regulation, reducing wasteful spending and restructuring federal agencies.” With the appointment of Musk and Ramaswamy to lead DOGE, Trump kept that promise.

Musk has already rushed to voice his ambitious plan to reduce government spending by a cosmic $2 trillion, although, according to the democratic publication The Washington Post, it will be “virtually impossible” to implement the plan unless it is necessary to cut the defense budget and social programs. Musk acknowledged that such cuts could have serious short-term financial consequences.

Image Source: @elonmusk, @VivekGRamaswamy, DWilliam/X, Pixabay

In Trump’s vision, the DOGE project becomes a kind of “The Manhattan Project” for the US government system. The department’s main goal is to radically reduce budget expenditures and eliminate unnecessary regulation, which has become increasingly important amid a record increase in the federal budget to $6.5 trillion a year. Musk has raised the possibility of $2 trillion in budget cuts, although he acknowledges that such measures could lead to short-term economic difficulties. However, he emphasizes that such steps are necessary for long-term financial stability and effective governance.

Trump believes DOGE should “shock the entire system and everyone involved in wasteful government.” The ambitious tasks set for the newly created department have long been discussed among Republican politicians seeking to optimize the state apparatus. Musk and Ramaswamy will work as external consultants to identify and eliminate waste and bring entrepreneurial approaches to government processes. Trump emphasized that such a system will make the government more transparent and accountable to citizens, which is especially important in the context of increasing the trust of the American public in government agencies.