WASHINGTON (Diya TV) — Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, tapped by President-elect Donald Trump to lead the newly established Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), met with lawmakers on Capitol Hill Thursday to build support for their ambitious cost-cutting initiative.
The House Speaker Mike Johnson hosted the two as they pitched their reform ideas and ways to make government waste smaller, stream operations, and cut back on regulations. The move was first announced last month by Trump, who declared that Musk, the chief executive of Tesla, and Ramaswamy, an entrepreneur and author, would play key roles in dismantling what he referred to as “excessive government bureaucracy.”
According to Trump’s vision, the duo will lead efforts to restructure federal agencies, eliminate wasteful expenditures, and eliminate regulations that hinder economic growth. “They will pave the way for my Administration to dismantle Government Bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, and restructure Federal Agencies,” Trump said.
As part of the broader effort, Republican lawmakers have rallied around the initiative. Last month, GOP Reps. Aaron Bean of Florida and Pete Sessions of Texas established the DOGE caucus in the House, while Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa launched its counterpart in the Senate. Speaking on Fox News last week, Ernst, who has been a long-time advocate for waste reduction efforts, voiced strong support for the initiative. “We are excited to collaborate with the caucus and ensure DOGE succeeds,” she said.
Despite widespread applause, with support from Republicans, interest in the initiative has already come from some Democrats: Rep. Jared Moskowitz of Florida became the first Democrat to join the caucus, telling reporters that he is open to discussions on government efficiency. “I think Democrats should embrace government efficiency,” he said, adding that this does not necessarily mean cutting services, but finding ways for the government to be better at what it does.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a Massachusetts Democrat, echoed a similar sentiment, stating that she would be willing to work with Musk if the focus is on eliminating wasteful spending, particularly in government contracting. “If it means working with Elon Musk to cut billions of dollars of waste out of the Pentagon budget, I’m ready,” Warren said. “And if it means fighting him, I’m ready for that too.”
Even as it has gained popularity, the DOGE proposal raises operational issues. It doesn’t have the authority to reduce spending, which it has promised to do since it requires an act of Congress. It has been ambitious to reduce federal spending by $500 billion every year. Its targets would include programs like the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, international organizations, and Planned Parenthood. But most of its spending is mandatory, with a significant chunk going towards defense.
As the initiative moves forward, it is unclear how Musk and Ramaswamy will be able to cut through the bureaucratic morass of government spending or if they will be able to meet their lofty goals. However, their meeting with lawmakers clearly demonstrates the strength of the momentum behind the effort to transform federal operations.
