The meeting will be the DOGE’s first formal interaction with Congress.
WASHINGTON—House Speaker Mike Johnson announced on Nov. 27 that he would host Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk and biotechnology businessman Vivek Ramaswamy at the U.S. Capitol to discuss the activities of their new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), with Republican members of Congress.
The DOGE is an advisory body chartered by President-elect Donald Trump to advise his incoming administration on cost-cutting, deregulation, and reducing the size of the U.S. government.
Johnson announced that Musk and Ramaswamy would be invited on Dec. 5 to discuss their proposals, which have so far been posted on Musk’s social media platform X, with Republican senators and members of the House of Representatives.
“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!” wrote Johnson on X.
Despite its title, the DOGE will not be a federal executive department—which would require congressional approval—or receive taxpayer funds.
Trump, in his announcement on Truth Social, wrote that the organization will “provide advice and guidance from outside Government, and will partner with the White House and Office of Management & Budget to drive large scale structural reform, and create an entrepreneurial approach to Government never seen before.”
Musk, by contrast, has recently highlighted on X certain government jobs he seeks to eliminate, many of which relate to climate initiatives. Both men have also suggested permanently ending the twice-yearly daylight saving time changes in the United States.
“We expect mass reductions. We expect certain agencies to be deleted outright,” Ramaswamy recently told Fox News. “We expect massive cuts of federal contractors and others who are overbilling the federal government,” he said, which he said could be accomplished quickly due to the “legal backdrop [of] the Supreme Court.”
Any executive branch downsizing is likely to affect members of Congress significantly, many of whom use earmarks and leverage votes to bring federal jobs and spending projects to their constituencies, which they publicize during election campaigns. Johnson’s meeting with DOGE leaders will be the first major interaction regarding government reduction, which could become a significant issue in 2026’s midterm elections.
The Republican Conferences in the House and Senate have already acted in anticipation of DOGE activities. The Senate DOGE Caucus has been established, with Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) as its chair, while the House will create an Oversight Subcommittee on DOGE to be chaired by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.).
the DOGE did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
