The key figures spearheading the upcoming President’s hazy agenda for government streamlining have been conducting meetings with Congress members, criticizing excessive debt but not providing much detail about their strategies to curtail it. Elon Musk, together with his child X Æ A-12, and Vivek Ramaswamy took their plan to Capitol Hill, initiating discussions with the Republican camp about the newly envisaged Department of Government Efficiency.
Compared to most Congressional meetings, the gathering with Mr. Musk and Mr. Ramaswamy was notably concise and right to the point, mirroring their objective of bringing ‘increased efficiency and reduced bureaucracy’ for the government — a primary goal for the newly-proposed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). They made their presence known on Capitol Hill with a sequence of discussions that reached their climax in an inclusive afternoon session with all congressional Republicans.
Both Musk and Ramaswamy took about a minute each to lay down some brief introductory remarks, seemingly to demonstrate their ability to cut to the chase in an environment where long-winded speeches are commonplace. Their plans for identifying potential budget cuts were not extensively discussed, based on accounts from those who attended this private gathering.
They focused more on highlighting the critical state of the government and the massive $36 trillion debt that had accumulated over the years. Afterwards, they handed the floor over to the legislators, inviting them to excitedly present their ideas about which government bodies and programs could be trimmed down.
Republicans who have long held hopes of shrinking the size of the national government, and who are overjoyed to be interacting with the wealthiest individual globally and a trusted friend of the President-elect, were delighted to witness the arrival of Musk and Ramaswamy in Congress.
In a statement to a crowd of journalists prior to the private meeting, Speaker Mike Johnson expressed that taxpayers ‘are entitled to a more answerable government, one that is efficient, trimmed, and predominantly directed towards its primary objectives.’
He further underscored the magnitude of the situation by stating, ‘We have a significant chance at hand. This could be a pivotal era for the nation, and these two gentlemen are well-positioned to steer through this thrilling new phase.’