Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy are heading to Capitol Hill next week to meet with House Republicans about their plan to cut regulations and other parts of the federal government.
Speaker Mike Johnson announced that he will host them on Thursday, December 5, to discuss “major reform ideas” to “revive the principle of limited government.”
Musk and Ramaswamy have been selected by President-elect Donald Trump to lead the so-called “Department of Government Efficiency”. Their roles have been described as “outside government” advisers on how to make drastic cuts to various federal agencies and their workforces.
Musk, in particular, has become a member of Trump’s inner circle as the president-elect prepares for a second term. The Tesla billionaire spent Thanksgiving with Trump at Mar-a-Lago in Florida.
Elon Musk speaks after President-elect Donald Trump spoke during an America First Policy Institute gala at his Mar-a-Lago estate, Nov. 14, 2024, in Palm Beach, Fla.
Alex Brandon/AP
Earlier this week, Musk proposed abolishing the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
“Delete the CFPB. There are too many duplicative regulatory agencies,” he wrote on his social media platform, X.
Trump on the campaign trail promised to dismantle federal bureaucracy, but did not specifically call for the CFPB to be eliminated. Emptying an entire agency would be a difficult task and would require legislation from Congress.
The CFPB, which was formed in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis to protect consumers and review the practices of the nation’s banks, lenders and other institutions, has long been a target of conservative attacks over its costs and regulations.
Earlier this year, the CFPB survived a legal challenge led by former Trump administration attorney Noel Francisco on behalf of a group of payday lenders that argued the agency’s structure was illegal. The US Supreme Court, in a 7-2 decision, upheld the agency’s funding mechanism as constitutional.
Musk has also recently reposted on social media the names of specific people and jobs he proposed to be cut. They include employees of the Department of Energy and the US International Development Finance Corporation. “So many fake jobs,” Musk wrote in a post.
Vivek Ramaswamy speaks during a rally for Republican presidential candidate and former US President Donald Trump at Madison Square Garden in New York City on October 27, 2024.
Andrew Kelly/Reuters
Musk and Ramaswamy outlined more of their plans for DOGE in a Wall Street Journal op-ed published last week.
They said they were helping Trump’s transition team bring on board a “powerful team of small government crusaders” that would target three core actions: rolling back regulations, reducing the administrative workforce and cutting costs.
“We are prepared for the onslaught from entrenched interests in Washington. We expect to prevail,” they wrote. “Now is the time for decisive action. Our top goal for DOGE is to eliminate the need for its existence by July 4, 2026 – the end date we have set for our project.”
Legal and logistical hurdles remain for Musk and Ramaswamy’s goal of cutting government. But they will get some help on Capitol Hill from a new congressional subcommittee aimed at eliminating government waste in cooperation with DOGE. Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a conservative firebrand and staunch supporter of Trump, has been tapped to lead the panel.
Responding to Johnson’s announcement of next week’s meeting, Ramaswamy said he has had “great discussions so far” with House and Senate GOP leaders about DOGE.
“Congress seems serious about delivering structural reforms. Looking forward to productive meetings in DC next week,” Ramaswamy wrote on X.
