Tech entrepreneurs lay out vision for government efficiency panel, promise sweeping reforms
In a bold move to reshape the federal bureaucracy, tech entrepreneurs Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy unveiled plans for a new government efficiency panel on Wednesday, vowing to eliminate "thousands" of federal regulations and implement mass reductions in the government workforce. The announcement, made in a joint op-ed for the Wall Street Journal, lays out their vision for the “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE), a panel they co-chair, which they claim will be central to President-elect Donald Trump’s plan to overhaul the federal government.
Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, and Ramaswamy, a biotech entrepreneur and author, argue that the current regulatory framework is overly burdensome and inefficient, contributing to an unnecessarily bloated government workforce. The two entrepreneurs pledged that DOGE would focus on three core reforms: rescinding outdated and unnecessary regulations, reducing administrative functions, and realizing significant cost savings across the federal government.
“Our mission will be to advise DOGE on executing executive actions aimed at reforming government through existing laws, rather than waiting for new legislation to be passed,” Musk and Ramaswamy wrote in the op-ed. “We will focus on practical, actionable reforms, starting with the elimination of thousands of federal regulations that we believe exceed the authority of federal agencies.”
The two also pointed to several recent Supreme Court rulings that have limited the power of the administrative state, arguing that these decisions have opened the door to significant reductions in federal regulations. By scaling back the regulatory burden, they assert, there will be a natural justification for reducing the size of the federal workforce.
“A drastic reduction in federal regulations provides sound industrial logic for mass head-count reductions across the federal bureaucracy,” Musk and Ramaswamy wrote. “With fewer regulations to enforce, fewer employees are required, and the agencies themselves will become more streamlined, producing fewer regulations once their scope of authority is properly limited.”
The proposal suggests that reducing the number of regulations could translate into large-scale job cuts for federal employees. Musk and Ramaswamy preemptively addressed concerns about potential obstacles from civil service protections, which shield government workers from political retaliation and job cuts. The entrepreneurs argued that the president has broad authority to reduce the size of the federal workforce without violating these protections, pointing to statutes that allow for "reductions in force" and empower the president to prescribe new rules governing the competitive service.
“The purpose of these protections is to protect employees from political retaliation,” they wrote, “but the statute allows for reductions in force that don’t target specific employees, and the president can implement rules to curtail administrative overgrowth—whether that’s through large-scale firings or relocating federal agencies out of Washington.”
Despite the ambitious scope of the plan, there are significant questions about how much power Musk and Ramaswamy’s advisory panel will actually have in shaping government policy. As a non-legislative commission, DOGE will be limited to making recommendations to the president-elect, and it is unclear how much influence it will have over agencies that may resist change or push back on efforts to downsize.
Nevertheless, Musk’s close ties to Trump are seen as a potentially influential factor in the panel’s ability to enact meaningful change. Musk was a major supporter of Trump during the 2024 election campaign, donating millions to pro-Trump super PACs and attending campaign events. After Trump’s decisive victory over Vice President Kamala Harris earlier this month, Musk has remained in close contact with the president-elect, offering advice on key Cabinet picks and playing a role in shaping the incoming administration’s priorities.
Musk’s influence was also evident in the aftermath of Trump’s victory, where he joined the president-elect at Mar-a-Lago on election night and was later praised in Trump’s victory speech. Recently, Musk has been spotted at the Palm Beach resort, participating in high-level meetings, including one with world leaders, and even hosting Trump in Texas to witness a SpaceX rocket launch.
Government workers have already mobilized in response to the potential for widespread cuts. According to reports from Reuters, many are seeking legal counsel and organizing public campaigns to protect their jobs, while also hoping that Congress may intervene to prevent large-scale reductions.
One of DOGE’s other primary objectives, according to the op-ed, is to challenge the continued use of unauthorized federal funding, with a particular focus on spending related to veterans’ health care, opioid addiction treatment, and even NASA’s budget. This could become a flashpoint as the panel pushes for further cuts to federal spending in the name of efficiency.
While skepticism remains about the panel’s ability to accomplish its goals, especially given its advisory role and potential pushback from both within the executive branch and Congress, Musk’s close relationship with the incoming president is seen as a key factor in ensuring that the reforms are taken seriously.
