US President-elect Donald Trump has appointed Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Indian-American entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy as chiefs of Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). The name of this newly formed US government department has already started a buzz due to similarity in name with Dogecoin , a cryptocurrency. The search term 'Dogecoin' could also be found trending online on Wednesday (November 13). Just what is this DOGE department? Read on.
What Is DOGE? What Will Musk And Ramaswamy Do As Chiefs?
The DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency) has been formed to reduce government bureaucracy and cut unnecessary expenditure.
“I am pleased to announce that the Great Elon Musk, working in conjunction with American Patriot Vivek Ramaswamy, will lead the department of government efficiency (DOGE),” said Trump in his statement about the appointments.
With Ramaswamy's appointment, Trump government has included in its fold first person of Indian origin. It was previously being discussed that Kashyap 'Kash' Patel was likely to become chief of Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) but former Director of National Intelligence Joh Ratcliffe ended up getting the post.
Trump has stressed that DOGE's main goal was to tackle what he termed "massive waste and fraud" in the US government's USD 6.5 trillion budget.
Reportedly, the DOGE will also be looking to restructure federal agencies and cut spending which is deemed wasteful.
The goals given to DOGE are to be completed by July 4, 2026, which also 250th independence day of the United States.
Musk had said at a Trump rally in October that the federal budget could be slashed by 'at least 2 trillion'. The billionaire entrepreneur has now said on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) that DOGE will have full transparency in its functioning.
"All actions of the Department of Government Efficiency will be posted online for maximum transparency," he said.
