President-elect Donald Trump declared on Tuesday that Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy will head a new “Department of Government Efficiency” in his second administration. The initiative aims to slash regulations, reduce government spending, and overhaul federal agencies.
“Together, these two wonderful Americans will pave the way for my Administration to dismantle Government Bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure Federal Agencies,” Trump said in a statement.
Musk’s involvement, given his leadership of companies with government contracts, has raised concerns about potential conflicts of interest.
Elon Musk commented that the department would “send shockwaves through the system, and anyone involved in Government waste, which is a lot of people!” Ramaswamy echoed his sentiment on social media, saying: “SHUT IT DOWN.”
The department’s goal, according to Trump, is to develop a plan to eliminate fraud and improper payments, saving “trillions of dollars.”
However, experts are skeptical about the feasibility of such savings. Former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers noted, “Musk would be lucky to find $200 billion,” while economist Glenn Hubbard stated it’s “mathematically impossible to find $2 trillion.”
Trump has promised the department will complete its work by July 4, 2026, saying, “A smaller Government, with more efficiency and less bureaucracy, will be the perfect gift to America on the 250th Anniversary of The Declaration of Independence.”
Earlier, Donald Trump revealed additional members of his upcoming administration on Monday, with Senator Marco Rubio anticipated to be chosen as secretary of state.
Both Rubio and Waltz, hailing from Florida, are set to play key roles in shaping Trump’s “America First” foreign policy. The president-elect has pledged to resolve conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East while avoiding further US military entanglements.
On Monday, Trump appointed immigration official Tom Homan as the “border czar,” entrusting him with the major domestic goal of mass deportations of undocumented immigrants.
Reports from US media also suggest that Stephen Miller, the architect of the “Muslim ban” immigration policy during Trump’s first term, is likely to become deputy chief of staff with a broad range of responsibilities.
New York Congresswoman Elise Stefanik, a staunch supporter of Israel, has been nominated for the role of UN ambassador, according to a statement from Trump’s transition team.
Additionally, the team announced that Lee Zeldin, a long-time political ally of Trump, would be put forward as the head of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), tasked with reducing climate and pollution regulations viewed as excessive by businesses.
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