subscribe Support our award-winning journalism. The Premium package (digital only) is R30 for the first month and thereafter you pay R129 p/m now ad-free for all subscribers.
Subscribe now
Elon Musk leaves a meeting on Capitol Hill in Washington, the US, December 5 2024. Picture: REUTERS/BENOIT TESSIER
Elon Musk leaves a meeting on Capitol Hill in Washington, the US, December 5 2024. Picture: REUTERS/BENOIT TESSIER

Washington — US President Donald Trump has officially announced the creation of an advisory group aimed at carrying out dramatic cuts to the US government, attracting immediate lawsuits challenging its operations.

The group — dubbed the department of government efficiency, or Doge — is being co-run by Tesla CEO Elon Musk and failed presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, and has as its goals the elimination of entire federal agencies and cutting three quarters of federal government jobs.

“To restore competence and effectiveness to our federal government, my administration will establish the brand new department of government efficiency,” Trump said in his inaugural speech on Monday.

Despite the name, the committee is not a department and has little official power to carry out any reorganisation, let alone the head-spinning cuts proposed by Musk and Ramaswamy.

Public interest law firm National Security Counselors sued within minutes of the announcement, alleging that the group was breaking a 1972 law that governed federal advisory committees.

So too did the American Public Health Association, the American Federation of Teachers, and Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, a watchdog group.

Another watchdog group, Public Citizen, is suing over the group’s uncertain legal status, along with a union representing US government employees.

The workings of the so-called department remain obscure and half its leadership appears to have lost interest before Trump even took office.

Ramaswamy is leaving Doge as he gears up for a race to be the governor of Ohio, digital newspaper Politico said on Monday, citing a person close to him. On Sunday, Politico said he intends to formally announce his bid by the last week in January.

Advisory committees on cutting government waste are often announced to great fanfare and typically accomplish little of note.

In 1982, then-president Ronald Reagan announced a group composed of “outstanding experts from the private sector” to review the executive branch’s spending. It ended up delivering its report 18 months late; most of its recommendations were never implemented.

Reuters

subscribe Support our award-winning journalism. The Premium package (digital only) is R30 for the first month and thereafter you pay R129 p/m now ad-free for all subscribers.
Subscribe now

Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.

Speech Bubbles

Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.