On November 20, local time, American entrepreneurs Musk and Ramaswamy announced a plan to reform the US government through the media. About a week ago, US President-elect Trump announced that Musk and Ramaswamy would jointly lead the "Ministry of Government Efficiency" to be established after he takes office. However, the relevant reform plan is not without controversy.

Bold and drastic measures

U.S. President-elect Trump announced on the 12th that Musk and Ramaswamy will jointly lead the proposed "Ministry of Government Efficiency" after he takes office. Neither of them has any experience in government work.

Since then, the outside world has been full of questions about the "Ministry of Government Efficiency", including its goals, operating methods, and scope of power. At that time, Musk "spoiled" that to cut about $2 trillion in federal government spending, the federal government only needed a maximum of 99 agencies, not more than 400.

About a week later, Musk and Ramaswamy published an article in the Wall Street Journal on the 20th titled "The Department of Government Efficiency's Plan to Reform the Government." The two called themselves "entrepreneurs, not politicians."

"We will serve as external volunteers, not federal officials or employees." Musk and Ramaswamy said the "Government Efficiency Department" will be more like an advisory group than a formal government department. Trump has also said that the "Government Efficiency Department" will operate outside the government and provide advice to federal officials.

Musk and Ramaswamy's reform focus is to significantly reduce federal regulations and significantly reduce the number of employees in federal government agencies, believing that the former will drive the latter in order to achieve cost reduction and efficiency improvement.

The two wrote that the "Department of Government Efficiency" will first "work with legal experts across government agencies" to identify federal regulations that Trump can repeal, and that related actions may also rely on "advanced technology" - artificial intelligence.

After Trump "repealed thousands" of federal regulations, the "Ministry of Government Efficiency" will determine the "minimum number of employees" required for federal government agencies to perform their basic functions. The two did not specify the specific number. But Ramaswamy recently hinted that by allowing federal government agency employees who are accustomed to remote work to return to the "8 am to 6 pm" office mode, about 25% of them will "voluntarily resign." Some federal government agency employees have said that returning to the office mode may subvert their rhythm of life and they cannot accept it. The "Ministry of Government Efficiency" may also reduce staff by encouraging early retirement and other means.

Musk and Ramaswamy also outlined other ways they believe the federal government can save money, including audits and improved procurement, and pushing the president to block congressional spending on veterans health care, the State Department, the Justice Department, NASA, anti-poverty and other departments and areas.

Musk and Ramaswamy also expect the Department of Government Efficiency to complete its mission by July 4, 2026.

"Looking forward to victory"

Some comments said that Musk and Ramaswamy's article still leaves some blanks, but they have begun to outline the legal and procedural steps they plan to take to change the way the federal government operates. It can be said that this article has outlined the vision of the "Department of Government Efficiency" in the most detailed way to date.

This reform plan also echoes Musk's past behavior - after acquiring the social platform Twitter (now X), Musk also carried out a series of drastic reforms and rare large-scale layoffs, reportedly exceeding 80% of the staff.

If Musk and Ramaswamy's plan to reform the U.S. government goes ahead, it is expected to affect dozens of federal government agencies and a large number of employees.

But the move is not without controversy. First, Everett Kelly, president of the American Federation of Government Employees, which represents more than 800,000 federal government employees, said Musk and Ramaswamy's claims that a large number of federal government employees are working remotely are not supported by data or reality.

Kelly said that according to data from the Office of Management and Budget, only about 10% of federal government employees work completely remotely, and nearly 80% of federal government employees are on-site nearly 80% of the time.

Secondly, some experts pointed out that it is difficult for the "Government Efficiency Department" to play a role in reducing costs and increasing efficiency through large-scale layoffs. Brian Riedel, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, cited White House statistics that the federal government spends about $305 billion a year on employee salaries and benefits (excluding military personnel), accounting for about 4% of the more than $6 trillion budget. If the staff is reduced by 25%, spending will be reduced by about 1%. In addition, after large-scale layoffs, the federal government may have to perform some functions through contractors.

Furthermore, critics point out that balancing the federal government budget would require either significant tax increases or cuts to Social Security and Medicare, but Trump is unlikely to make drastic changes in these areas.

Some commentators said Musk and Ramaswamy's reform plans will almost certainly face political resistance, even from Republicans, and may also trigger legal challenges.

There are also reports that Musk's ministerial position raises concerns about conflicts of interest given his entrepreneurial identity. At the same time, given Musk and Trump's personalities and tempers, it remains to be seen how long the "brotherhood" between the two can last.

Still, Musk and Ramaswamy are feeling confident now.

During his first term as president, Trump nominated three conservative justices, increasing the ratio of conservative to liberal judges in the Supreme Court from 5:4 to 6:3, expanding the conservative advantage.

Musk and Ramaswamy wrote that two key factors, the conservative majority on the Supreme Court and Trump's election as president, give the Department of Government Efficiency a historic opportunity to make radical changes to the federal government.

"We are ready to take on the onslaught from the vested interests in Washington. We expect to win."$ATOM