President-elect Donald Trump has announced that billionaires Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, a former Trump presidential candidate and ally, will lead a new Department of Government Efficiency.
“Together, these two wonderful Americans will pave the way for my Administration to dismantle the Government Bureaucracy, cut excessive regulations, reduce wasteful spending and restructure Federal Agencies,” Trump said in a speech on Tuesday.
The Department of Government Efficiency will not be a federal agency of the US government, but will provide advice and guidance “outside the government” and will cooperate with the White House and the Office of Management. & Budget “To encourage structural reform of the government,” said Trump.
The president did not specify how this new department would be financed.
“I look forward to Elon and Vivek making changes to the Federal Bureaucracy with a focus on efficiency while improving the lives of all Americans,” Trump added.
Trump said the new department will target “waste and fraud” that he believes is part of the $6.5 trillion in government spending.
In this split image, Republican presidential candidate Elon Musk, former President Donald Trump, and businessman Vivek Ramaswamy speak during the fourth primary debate at Madison Square Garden on October 27, 2024 in New York. University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Ala., on December 6, 2023.
Jim Watson and Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images, FILE
During the 2024 election cycle, Trump talked about having Musk join his administration if elected.
Speaking to the Economic Club of New York in September, Trump announced that Musk would lead a task force to conduct a “comprehensive financial and performance review of the entire federal government” and make “recommendations for drastic reforms.”
After Trump’s comments, Musk turned to X, saying, “I look forward to serving America if the opportunity arises.”
Ramaswamy, a biotech entrepreneur, suspended his presidential bid in January advocate voice Trump’s campaign.
Earlier this month, Ramaswamy said the presidential candidate would rally the country and urged Democrats who did not vote to “give him a chance”.
“What you’re hearing from Donald Trump is that he’s going to be the president of all Americans,” Ramaswamy said. “I think Donald Trump is focused on what makes people’s lives better. And really, my message to Democrats, even those who didn’t vote for Donald Trump, is to give them a chance to really make your life better,” he said. add
ABC News’ Kelsey Walsh and Katherine Faulders contributed to this report.
