What is the Ministry of Government Efficiency? Musk, Ramaswamy at the helm

President-elect Donald Trump announced Tuesday that his second administration will establish the Department of Government Efficiency led by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy.

Trump, who won a second term in the White House last week, said in a statement on Truth Social that the department “will pave the way for my administration to cut government bureaucracy, dismantle excessive regulations, cut wasteful spending and restructure federal agencies.”

“I look forward to Elon and Vivek making changes to the federal bureaucracy with an eye on efficiency while improving life for all Americans,” Trump added.

Details of the new department, which Trump has abbreviated as DOGE, are largely unknown. Trump said in his statement that the department would not be a federal agency but would provide guidance “outside of government” through a partnership with the White House and the Office of Management and Budget “to advance comprehensive structural reforms and an entrepreneurial approach to government.” to accomplish”. never seen before.”

During his campaign, Trump touted giving Musk, the billionaire CEO of Tesla and SpaceX who poured millions of dollars to support Trump’s campaign, a place in his administration. During a speech at the Economic Club of New York in September, Trump said he planned to “establish a government efficiency commission” at Musk’s “suggestion.”

At the time, Musk responded in a post on X, formerly Twitter: “I look forward to serving America when the opportunity arises. There is no salary, no title, no recognition required.”

Musk said on Tuesday: “[a]All measures taken by the Ministry of Government Efficiency are published online for maximum transparency.”

“If the public thinks we’re cutting something important or not cutting something wasteful, just let us know!” he added in the post

Ramaswamy — who ran for the 2024 Republican presidential nominee before dropping out and endorsing Trump in January — responded to Trump’s announcement on X on Tuesday, writing, “We won’t go soft, @elonmusk.”

In a separate post, he added that he was “withdrawing from consideration” of potentially filling Vice President-elect JD Vance’s Senate seat in Ohio. Ohio’s Republican Gov. Mike DeWine is tasked with appointing someone to fill Vance’s seat until a special election in 2026.

Ramaswamy made cutting government spending a key part of his presidential bid, promising to cut the FBI, the Education Department and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission if elected. Trump has also floated the idea of ​​closing the Department of Education.

Newsweek contacted Trump’s campaign team via email Tuesday evening seeking further comment.