Musk, Ramaswamy to discuss DOGE plans with GOP lawmakers
Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy are headed to Washington, D.C., next week to meet with Republican lawmakers about ways to cut the fat from the federal government as co-leads of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) under the incoming Trump administration.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., announced on X that he will host the two billionaires for a discussion with GOP members on Thursday, and issued a save-the-date invitation for all Republican legislators in both the House and Senate for the gathering.
"Looking forward to hosting @elonmusk and @VivekGRamaswamy next week on Capitol Hill to discuss major reform ideas to achieve regulatory rescissions, administrative reductions, and cost savings—& revive the principle of limited government!" Johnson wrote. "@realDonaldTrump has made this possible!"
Musk and Ramaswamy are wasting no time in laying out their vision for slashing government bloat through DOGE. The pair penned an op-ed published in The Wall Street Journal last week, explaining how the outside-government agency will operate to determine suggestions for cuts.
MUSK AND RAMASWAMY LAY OUT DOGE VISION IN WSJ OP-ED: 5 TAKEAWAYS
The entrepreneurs have vowed to scrap entire government agencies through the DOGE initiative, which they intend to wrap up by July 4, 2026.
In their op-ed, Musk and Ramaswamy largely focused on how DOGE could assist in identifying waste and regulations that could be eliminated through the executive branch. Now, Johnson's announcement indicates the agency will also be working closely with Congress.
Republicans will control the White House and both chambers of the legislature when President-elect Trump returns to office in January, and several GOP members have already expressed interest in assisting the agency.
SEN. ERNST SENDS LETTER TO MUSK, RAMASWAMY DETAILING AREAS WHERE DOGE CAN CUT SPENDING
But DOGE critics have expressed skepticism that it would be able to deliver on the ambitious plans for massive cuts to the federal government, citing limitations on presidential power, as well as the fact that Republicans' narrow majorities will mean the GOP will likely need buy-in from some Democrats to pass legislation that would impose cuts.
Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., suggested last week that DOGE may be able to find bipartisan support for its initiatives, signaling an openness to hearing what the agency comes up with.
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"If they go to say there needs to be more open competition — not the monopolization — in defense contractors and propose recommendations, that's something that I think could be supported," Khanna told CNN. "If they find areas of truly wasteful spending across the government, they would get support. But if they start to recommend cuts in Social Security or Medicare or Title One education funding, they'll face strong resistance. So it really just depends [on] what they recommend."