PANews reported on December 19 that according to Bloomberg, Elon Musk is recruiting a team for a new initiative called the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which aims to reduce the size and spending of the U.S. federal government. The plan is supported by President-elect Trump and Vice President-elect Vivek Ramaswamy and is currently being operated through SpaceX's office in Washington. DOGE has not yet become a formal government agency approved by Congress. In the future, it may be registered as a 501(c)(3) organization or become a federal advisory committee through Trump's executive order. The team is led by core personnel such as Steve Davis, president of Musk's tunnel company Boring Co., and Michael Kratsios, a former Trump administration technical official. It has hired about 10 people and targets talents in technical fields such as artificial intelligence.
DOGE plans to cut the federal budget by up to $2 trillion (not sure whether it is annual or ten-year), which may involve deep cuts to popular programs such as Social Security and Medicare. At the same time, the Republican Party plans to set up a "Government Efficiency Delivery Subcommittee" to cooperate with DOGE. Musk is an important supporter of Trump's campaign and has donated more than $238 million to help Trump win the election. DOGE emphasizes reducing wasteful spending and seeking to streamline government operations, which is seen as an important step for Musk to cooperate with conservatives.
