Elon Musk, Vivek Ramaswamy to lead new ‘Department of Government Efficiency’ [Video]

President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday said Elon Musk and former GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy will lead a new Department of Government Efficiency" which is not, despite the name, a government agency.The acronym DOGE is a nod to Musk's favorite cryptocurrency, dogecoin. Trump said in a statement that Musk and Ramaswamy will work from outside the government to offer the White House advice and guidance and will partner with the Office of Management and Budget to drive large scale structural reform, and create an entrepreneurial approach to Government never seen before. He added that the move would shock government systems.It's not clear how the organization will operate. It could come under the Federal Advisory Committee Act, which dictates how external groups that advise the government must operate and be accountable to the public.Federal employees are generally required to disclose their assets and entanglements to ward off any potential conflicts of interest, and to divest significant holdings relating to their work. Because Musk and Ramaswamy would not be formal federal workers, they would not face those requirements or ethical limitations.Musk posted on X: Department of Government Efficiency. The merch will be (fire emojis). Later he added: Threat to democracy? Nope, threat to BUREAUCRACY!!!Musk has been a constant presence at Mar-a-Lago since Trump won the presidential election.The president-elect has often said he would give Musk a formal role overseeing a group akin to a blue-ribbon commission that would recommend ways to slash spending and make the federal government more efficient. Musk at one point suggested he could find more than $2 trillion in savings nearly a third of total annual government spending.Trump had made clear that Musk would likely not hold any kind of full-time position, given his other commitments.I dont think I can get him full-time because hes a little bit busy sending rockets up and all the things he does, Trump said at a rally in Michigan in September. He said the waste in this country is crazy. And were going to get Elon Musk to be our cost cutter.Ramaswamy suspended his campaign in January and threw his support behind Trump.Trump said in his statement the two will pave the way for my Administration to dismantle Government Bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure Federal Agencies."

The U.S. Secret Service official who oversees protective operations of elected officials, foreign dignitaries and high-profile events is retiring this week marking the second high-ranking official to leave the agency as it grapples with the aftermath of Donald Trumps near assassination in July.Michael Plati, an assistant director at the Secret Service, is leaving on his 27-year anniversary working at the agency and had been discussing his retirement with his family for more than a year, according to a person familiar with his plan.A Secret Service spokesperson said it was Platis personal decision and denied a media report that he had been asked to retire by senior leadership at the agency.Assistant Director Plati was not asked to resign or retire by anyone, the spokesperson said in a statement to CNN. This was a personal decision that he has made, and we thank him for his 27 years of dedicated service to the federal government.News of Platis departure comes as the agency faces increased scrutiny and a ramped-up campaign schedule in the lead-up to the 2024 election.Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned in July amid criticism for security lapses related to the assassination attempt against Trump at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania, and the agency is under continued pressure from lawmakers to hold individuals accountable for those security failures.Ronald Rowe, now acting director of the Secret Service, has said several times that he would wait until the results of internal investigations into the shooting before making personnel decisions over that days failures.Multiple Secret Service personnel from the Pittsburgh Field Office and one member of Trumps security detail involved in the advance planning for the July 13 rally have been reassigned to administrative duties and ordered to work from home.

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