President-Elect Donald Trump recently began announcing his presidential cabinet nominations, tapping Congresspeople, former Republican presidential nominees, and close allies. As the leader of the executive branch, the President must appoint about 4,000 officials, including the members of his cabinet, who serve as heads of executive departments. Some cabinet positions, including UN Ambassador, require confirmation by the Senate and typically involve confirmation hearings. In the midst of his cabinet nominations, Trump introduced an idea for a new executive department that has caused debates about executive power.
The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)
On Tuesday, November 12th, 2024, Trump announced that he would be creating a new executive department, the Department of Government Efficiency, led by billionaire businessmen Elon Musk and former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy. In a post on Truth Social, Trump said he is creating the new department to “dismantle Government Bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure Federal Agencies.” Also known as DOGE, the department aims to provide “outside guidance” to the government and foster “an entrepreneurial approach” to government spending. The department is slated to last until July 4th, 2026, giving it a deadline to accomplish its objective of cutting government spending. It is still unclear as to how the department will officially be created or funded, as creating new federal departments requires congressional approval. If Congress does not move forward with establishing DOGE, Musk and Ramaswamy may act as advisors to the President rather than as leaders of an official executive department.
Who are the proposed heads of the Department of Government Efficiency?
- Elon Musk: Musk is a businessman worth over 303 billion dollars and the co-founder of over seven companies, some of the most notable being Tesla and SpaceX. Throughout Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign, Musk has been a staunch supporter, attending rallies, giving at least $130 million in campaign donations, and hosting a $1 million raffle in the swing state of Pennsylvania for those who registered to vote. At Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally in October, Musk stated that he wanted to reduce the federal budget by “at least $2 trillion,” about 30% of the federal government’s total fiscal spending in 2024.
- Vivek Ramaswamy: Ramaswamy made political news in early 2023 when he ran for the Republican presidential nomination. His policy positions included militarizing the southern border, ending the funding of sanctuary cities, diversifying healthcare insurance options, abolishing the Department of Education, and increasing the voting age to 25. Ramaswamy founded Roivant Sciences, a biotech company focused on applying technology to drug development. He previously signaled support for cutting government spending when he announced his plans to cut the number of federal workers through “reduction of force” regulations when he was campaigning for president in 2023.
