Vivek Ramaswamy, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to co-head the new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), said Sunday that the department will pursue “massive cuts” and fight “bureaucratic backlash.”
Appearing on “Sunday Morning Futures,” Ramaswamy told Fox News host Maria Bartiromo that he and DOGE co-leader Elon Musk should eliminate unnecessary federal agencies and make other agencies more powerful. He explained that he will work diligently to make things more efficient.
He said DOGE would work to hold federal agency employees accountable through mass layoffs, noting that many civil servants are less efficient than elected officials, with a lower risk of being fired. did. Bartiromo then questioned how Ramaswamy and Musk will respond to Congress and authorities’ refusals.
FOX News host Maria Bartiromo pressed Vivek Ramaswamy on how the Trump administration’s Office of Government Efficiency will deal with bureaucratic “backlash.” pic.twitter.com/wCtlGAtpsy
— Julianna Freeman (@JuliannaFrieman) November 17, 2024
“You’re going to get a backlash not just from the left. You might get a backlash from the very people who are running those departments and agencies,” Bartiromo said. “They want to put as many people in there as they want. You’re going to want to fire people. So you’re also looking at pushback from Congress, how about that? Are you going to deal with it?”
Ramaswamy said many Congressional allies “have the right feelings,” but said Republican politicians who have promised to cut wasteful spending for the past 40 years have not delivered. . (Related: ‘Shut It Down’: Vivek Ramaswamy talks with Tucker about ‘huge reorganization’ of federal bureaucracy)
“Elon and I are not politicians. We are businessmen and we come from the outside. Sometimes when you come in, you become native to the system,” he told the Fox News host. Ta. “President Trump, I admire his creativity and his generosity in setting us up for success in ways never seen before.”
Ramaswamy said the incoming Trump administration needs to “score quick wins” to bring long-standing changes to the U.S. government and set the stage for Congress to move forward.
“I’m optimistic. That’s part of the reason why we’ve set an end date for this. Our work will be completed by July 4, 2026. Unlike every other government project, my We don’t want this to continue for long,” Ramaswamy said.
“These MPs are sensitive to the people,” he added. “Many of them are also quietly on our side.”
Will the entire agency be deleted?Answer: Yes. pic.twitter.com/QPe5VNGDhr
— Vivek Ramaswamy (@VivekGRAmaswamy) November 17, 2024
Mr. Bartiromo asked if DOGE would shut down the entire federal agency, and Mr. Ramaswamy said it would.
“We expect massive cuts. We expect certain agencies to be eliminated entirely. We expect massive cuts to occur in areas of the federal government that are bloated. We expect massive cuts to federal contractors and others who overcharge the federal government. So, yes, we expect all of the above. , I think people will be surprised at how quickly we can respond to some of these changes, given the legal background that the Supreme Court has given us,” he said.
