Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy have started revealing where the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), co-led by them under President-elect Trump’s administration, plans to focus its efforts on trimming federal spending in January.
Musk, the world’s richest individual, aims to slash $2 trillion in federal spending under the initiative, while Ramaswamy, also a billionaire, stated that entire agencies could be “deleted” following DOGE’s recommendations.
FOX Business compiled a list based on the entrepreneurs’ insights, highlighting areas of potential reforms and those they’ll avoid:
IRS: Simplifying U.S. tax code
DOGE emphasized the complexity of the U.S. tax code, which grew from 1.5 million words in 1955 to over 16 million words today. DOGE posted, “Americans collectively spend 6.5 billion hours preparing and filing their taxes each year. This must be simplified.”
Department of Defense (DOD): Audit failures
DOGE flagged that the Pentagon failed its seventh consecutive audit in a November post, noting it cannot account for its $824 billion budget. Musk responded, “Sounds like a job for @DOGE!”
Congress: $516 billion authorized for expired programs
DOGE pointed out that $516 billion was allocated in FY2024 for programs whose authorizations had expired under federal law, with nearly $320 billion of that amount being over a decade old.
Federal workforce: Ending telework
Both DOGE leaders aim to end telework for federal employees, referencing a last-minute decision allowing 42,000 SSA workers to continue working from home for five more years. Ramaswamy criticized the large number of workers not showing up to work, saying, “It’s nuts… a job for DOGE.” Musk referenced reports claiming that fewer than 1% of government workers put in 40 hours a week in-person.
Expediting government projects
DOGE outlined the federal bureaucracy slowing project timelines, especially in construction. Ramaswamy emphasized deregulation as central to the initiative’s mission.
Modernizing government IT systems
DOGE highlighted the excessive spending on outdated government IT systems, with 80% of the annual $100 billion budget dedicated to maintaining older systems that are both costly and vulnerable to hacking.
National Institutes of Health (NIH): Returning taxpayer dollars
Ramaswamy reacted to NIH’s $759 million expenditure on diversity programs and unrelated research by urging, “Return this $$ to the taxpayers.”
Federal agencies: Combatting fraud
Citing reports of $233 billion to $521 billion lost annually due to fraud, Musk replied with, “Drop the @DOGE hammer.”
Foreign aid: Transparency and reduction
Former Congressman Ron Paul suggested eliminating foreign aid, calling it an immoral wealth transfer. Musk agreed, stating that DOGE will address it with full transparency.
Protecting Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security
Ramaswamy clarified that DOGE will not be directly cutting entitlements. He emphasized that improper payouts in these programs would be targeted, preventing funds from going to individuals who shouldn’t be receiving them.
As these priorities come to light, it’s clear that Musk and Ramaswamy’s mission for DOGE is focused on cost-saving and reforming government efficiency.
