00:00President-elect Donald Trump has tapped Tesla chief Elon Musk to lead the Department of
00:05Government Efficiency with former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy,
00:10tasking the two with driving large-scale structural reform through the department,
00:14which is not yet recognized as an official government agency.
00:19The Department of Government Efficiency was first proposed by Musk and has been
00:23championed by Trump as a way to cut down on government bureaucracy.
00:28The department, which when acronymized shares the name of the dogecoin cryptocurrency often
00:33touted by Musk, will slash access regulations, cut wasteful expenditures,
00:38and restructure federal agencies, according to a statement from Trump.
00:44Trump likened the department to the Manhattan Project,
00:47the research and development program behind the creation of the first nuclear weapons,
00:52and said it would provide advice and guidance from outside of government.
00:57It's unclear exactly how the department will operate and what its relationship
01:01will be with Trump's administration, though the statement said it will
01:05partner with the White House and Office of Management and Budget to drive large-scale
01:10structural reform and create an entrepreneurial approach to government never seen before.
01:16The statement also suggested the department will function as a consulting organization
01:21that will be quote-unquote outside of government, rather than a new federal
01:25department, which would require congressional approval and seemingly go against the
01:29department's proposed mission. It is not clear whether the initiative will receive federal funding.
01:37According to the statement, the department's work will be done no later than July 4,
01:412026, the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence,
01:46suggesting the new consultancy will only last for about half of Trump's term.
01:50For more on this story, check out Antonio Pequeño's article in the link in the description.
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