Aides for Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk and tech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy are conducting interviews with federal government staffers for the newly created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). The department, a blue-ribbon committee separate from the federal government, aims to address issues concerning government spending, waste, efficiency, and operations.
Representatives from DOGE have had conversations with staffers from over a dozen federal agencies, including the Treasury Department, Internal Revenue Service, Departments of Veterans Affairs, Homeland Security, and Health and Human Services. The committee is led by Musk and Ramaswamy, who are expected to suggest executive actions for the Trump administration and partner with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to initiate reforms.
DOGE aims to cut $2 trillion from the federal government budget by slashing spending, government programs, and the federal workforce. However, Musk recently cast doubt on the likelihood of eliminating $2 trillion, saying there is a better chance of cutting $1 trillion.
Lawmakers on Capitol Hill have voiced support for working with DOGE, and several have announced the creation of DOGE-like committees at the state level. DOGE currently has a staff of approximately 50 people working from SpaceX’s offices in Washington, D.C. and is aiming to roughly double that number when President-elect Trump is sworn into office.