Trump taps Elon Musk, Vivek Ramaswamy to lead new government efficiency initiative

US President-elect Donald Trump announced the creation of a new advisory group, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which will be led by tech billionaire Elon Musk and biotech entrepreneur and former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy.

The two "will pave the way for my Administration to dismantle Government Bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure Federal Agencies," Trump said Tuesday in a statement.

Trump described DOGE as potentially "the Manhattan Project of our time," noting that Republican leaders have long aspired to such an initiative.

The advisory group will collaborate with the White House and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to address federal inefficiency and promote an "entrepreneurial approach to government never seen before," according to Trump.

Trump said that DOGE will drive "large-scale structural reform" within federal operations. However, it was not immediately clear whether DOGE will function as an official part of the Trump administration or operate independently as an external advisory group.

In Trump's statement, Musk was quoted as saying that DOGE "will send shockwaves through the system and anyone involved in government waste, which is a lot of people!"

Trump underscored the group's mission, saying that "we will drive out the massive waste and fraud that exists throughout our annual $6.5 trillion of government spending."

Trump added that DOGE's work is expected to conclude by July 4, 2026, in time for the nation's 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.