### Ramaswamy and Musk to Lead Government Efficiency Body, Promise Major Cuts

MAGA entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, who has been appointed by President-elect Donald Trump to oversee a new government efficiency body, has declared his intention to drastically reduce the size of America's bureaucracy. Teaming up with Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Ramaswamy envisions significant cuts that aim to transform the federal administrative structure.

Trump recently announced that Ramaswamy and Musk would head the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency (DoGE) to provide counsel to the Office of Management and Budget. Despite its governmental-sounding name, the body will operate externally, acting as a consultative entity.

Ramaswamy, a former Republican presidential candidate and current Trump endorsee, made his intentions clear on Fox News' *Hannity*. "There's a fourth branch of government: the administrative state that creates federal bureaucracy hampering our economy," he told host Sean Hannity. Ramaswamy stressed the need to "slash and burn" this bureaucracy to stimulate economic growth and restore self-governance.

One of the boldest initiatives comes from Elon Musk, who, during the campaign, proposed cutting $2 trillion in federal spending. When host Hannity mistakenly referenced the figure as "$2 billion," Ramaswamy corrected him and affirmed the ambitious scale of their endeavor.

However, this vision has drawn considerable skepticism from various experts. Brian Riedl, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, was quoted by the Washington Post as saying, "The idea that one can cut $2 trillion in wasteful and unnecessary programs is absolutely absurd." He emphasized that a long history of such attempts by smart businessmen has proven impractical.

Economist Paul Mortimer-Lee of the National Institute of Economic and Social Research labeled the plan "crazy nuts." He noted that a cut of $2 trillion represents 8% of the GDP, an amount that could potentially destabilize the economy and sharply increase unemployment.

Further complicating the feasibility of the plan is the current federal spending landscape. The U.S. government spent $6.75 trillion in the latest fiscal year, ending in September 2024. Of that, $882 billion was allocated to debt servicing, leaving large programs like Social Security and Medicare—which accounted for $1.4 billion and $874 billion respectively—in the crosshairs for potential cuts.

Trump has compared Ramaswamy and Musk's mission to the Manhattan Project, calling for completion by July 4, 2026. This deadline is set ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, crucial for maintaining Republican control of Congress.

Host Sean Hannity expressed his support for Ramaswamy and Musk's ambitious plan, summarizing his thoughts with a simple, "I agree."