President-elect Donald Trump has announced that Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy will lead the Department of Government Efficiency.
"I am very excited to announce that the great Elon Musk, along with 'Patriot of America' Vivek Ramaswamy, will lead the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)," president-elect Donald Trump stated in a release on November 12, local time.
"Together, these two great Americans will pave the way for my Administration to dismantle the Government Bureaucracy, cut unnecessary regulations, reduce wasteful spending, and restructure Federal Agencies - essential elements for the 'Save America' movement," the statement said.
Elon Musk - the richest man in the world with companies that have billion-dollar contracts with the federal government - has been continuously present at Mr. Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate this week.
The Tesla CEO is reportedly the second most influential figure in the direct orbit of the president-elect after his campaign manager, Susie Wiles, who has been nominated as the new chief of staff.
"The Government Efficiency Department" - essentially an independent advisory board - that billionaire Musk will help run, aims to "eliminate rampant waste and fraud."
"This will shock the entire system and anyone involved in Government waste, that is, a lot of people!", a statement from billionaire Musk on November 12 said.
According to the Guardian, the other figure mentioned in Mr. Trump's recent announcement - Vivek Ramaswamy - is a biotech entrepreneur who previously ran for president, helping Mr. Musk lead this effort.
Mr. Vivek Ramaswamy responded to the announcement on X, the social media platform owned by Musk: "We won't go easy, @elonmusk" and added an American flag emoji.
A "government performance oversight committee" was an idea pushed by billionaire Elon Musk and was first mentioned by Mr. Trump earlier this month.
"I will establish a committee tasked with conducting a financial and performance audit of the entire federal government and making recommendations for transformative reforms," Mr. Trump stated at a campaign rally held at the New York Economic Club on September 5.
So far, details about how this committee will operate remain unclear. At the time, Mr. Trump merely reiterated Mr. Elon Musk's argument that establishing such a committee would help cut unnecessary expenses while reducing bureaucracy in the way the government operates.
Mr. Trump is expected to return to the public eye on November 13, when he visits the White House to meet President Joe Biden and goes to Capitol Hill to consult with Speaker of the House Mike Johnson and Republican lawmakers.
Overall, Mr. Trump is laying the groundwork for his second presidential term much faster than his first.