Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy are set to take over the reins of President-elect Trump's new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). The commission has bold ambitions to reduce government costs and reorganize federal agencies.
But experts say that given its seemingly advisory role, the next administration is likely to face many obstacles in its efforts to bring about change.
“There's the executive branch that might get in their way. Congress might get in their way. The Constitution is a bit of a stumbling block,” said Douglas Holtz Eakin, president of the American Action Forum.
“Other than that, it’s been smooth sailing,” he told The Hill.
President Trump announced Tuesday night that the two technology entrepreneurs will co-lead a panel that will “provide advice and guidance from outside the government.”
President Trump said in a statement that he is working with the White House and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to “advance major structural reforms” that are expected to be completed by July 4, 2026.
“It would potentially become the 'Manhattan Project' of our time. Republican politicians have long dreamed of a 'DOGE' goal,” the president-elect said.
On Wednesday, the commission created an official government account on social platform X, writing: “Let's work overtime to make sure our tax dollars are spent wisely!”
Musk and Trump previously discussed the prospect of a cost-cutting commission during the campaign, but the tech giant has donated millions of dollars to his own pro-Trump super PAC to support Republican candidates. , because it amplified Trump's message about X.
DOGE is now becoming a reality, but experts are skeptical about what it can actually accomplish.
“It sounds to me like an external committee giving recommendations to OMB on what to do to improve the efficiency of the government, so its authority is entirely advisory,” Holtz-Eakin said. said.
“They don't have the power to do anything other than say, 'We think this is good,'” he said. “Obviously Mr. Musk has a lot of free time and if he wants to waste it, so be it.”
Government committees like DOGE typically have large staffs and budgets and produce formal reports with recommendations to Congress, said Darrell West, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution's Center for Technology Innovation. He explains.
“But it wasn't created by Congress, so we don't know what its powers are and what its status is,” West said. “So any American can make suggestions on how to cut the government budget, but the question is, will anyone seriously pay attention to this?”
He noted that any major budget cuts would require Congressional approval. Although Republicans hold majorities in both chambers, they are expected to hold a slim majority in the House of Representatives, and are unlikely to have a strong enough majority in the Senate to withstand a filibuster.
“It's not clear that any draconian measures will ever see the light of day,” West said.
However, the close relationship between Mr. Musk and Mr. Trump is noteworthy. The billionaire spent election night with the president-elect at Mar-a-Lago, watching the results come in, and President Trump thanked the CEOs of Tesla and SpaceX in his victory speech, calling him a “star.” is.
In the days following the election, Musk reportedly remained at Mar-a-Lago with the president-elect, attending meetings and phone calls with world leaders, according to The New York Times.
Musk also attended a meeting with House Republicans at the Capitol on Wednesday with Trump, during which the president-elect joked that “Elon is not going home.” I can't kick him out. Until I hated him. ”
President Trump met with Biden later that day and visited the Oval Office for the first time since leaving office in 2021.
“Mr. Musk has the ear of the president, so people have to take him seriously for that reason alone,” West told The Hill.
Republicans also have two chances to pass major legislation through budget reconciliation, potentially giving President Trump and the GOP several chances to pass sweeping reforms without passing the Senate filibuster. .
Musk had said much of DOGE's focus would be on what the committee sees as egregious misuse of federal spending.
“If the public thinks we're cutting back on what's important or not cutting back on what's useless, please let us know!” Musk Posted on Tuesday night.
“We'll also have a leaderboard of the stupidest expenditures of our tax dollars, which is going to be very tragic and very funny at the same time,” Musk continued.
Shortly after the idea was floated earlier this year, ethics experts and former government officials raised concerns that a combination of positions in Musk's tech company and the Trump administration could represent a conflict of interest.
Tesla and SpaceX have contracts worth billions of dollars with the same federal agencies that he is likely to work with as an advisor. Some experts argued that this could jeopardize the committee's objectivity and impartiality.
Even the panel's name, “DOGE,” pays homage to Dogecoin, a cryptocurrency often promoted by Musk, which mimics a mid-2010s meme featuring a Shiba Inu. Dogecoin's value has increased more than 90% over the past week as of Wednesday afternoon.
“Giving the keys to government to people who seek to profit from it is extremely dangerous and a serious conflict of interest,” Zach Mueller, director of economics programs at the center-left think tank Third Way, said in a statement. said. “The idea of a Government Efficiency Board run by Mr. Musk is a farce and will lead to further waste, fraud, and rampant abuse of political power.”
“Americans are right to suspect that Mr. Musk will use his new government powers to throw a lifeline to struggling companies,” he added.
Experts also pointed to controversies and legal challenges at Musk's other companies, which could provide hints about his leadership style.
“Not only does Mr. Musk know nothing about government efficiency or regulation, but his own businesses regularly violate the very rules he stands to attack in his new 'czar' capacity.” “We've seen a lot of people in the industry,” said Lisa Gilbert, co-chair of Progressive Consumer Rights. the advocacy group Public Citizen wrote on Wednesday.
Mr. Musk is faced many legal challenges He criticized his company's conduct, including its hiring and firing practices, pay structure, and product performance.
Mueller called Musk a “brilliant entrepreneur and technology visionary,” but said the billionaire's company is “deeply troubled and mismanaged.”
Musk did not fully specify whether the new role would change his role at other companies, but he said Tesla investors should be “comforted” by the group's position outside the government. reposted one user who said that yes, and the period is limited to 21 months.
“Typically, on committees set up by governments, members must respect conflict of interest rules, but I wonder how Mr. Musk will abide by them, and this appears to be an ad hoc operation, so the requirements are… It's not clear what that will be,” West said.
“It allows them to get around ethics rules, but it doesn't put them in a strong position to change public policy,” he added.
