On Sunday, November 17th, Vivek Ramaswamy, co-leader of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) nominated by President-elect Trump, stated that some federal agencies will be “directly revoked” and contractors may see significant reduction in their fees after the new government takes office next year.
Last week, Trump appointed former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy and Tesla CEO Elon Musk to lead the President’s Advisory Council, known as the Department of Government Efficiency, independent of the federal government. Trump’s statement mentioned that their work must be completed by July 4, 2026.
Ramaswamy told Fox Business on Sunday, “There is currently a lot of waste, fraud, and abuse.”
He said, “Federal contractors are indeed taking advantage of the federal government.”
When Fox host Maria Bartiromo asked him if he would shut down entire government agencies, he gave an affirmative response.
“We expect massive layoffs. We expect certain agencies to be completely eliminated,” Ramaswamy said. “We anticipate significant reduction in manpower in bloated departments of the federal government. We anticipate massive cuts to all federal contractors and others overcharging the federal government. So yes, we anticipate all of the above.”
During his presidential campaign, Ramaswamy had called for the complete elimination or restructuring of several agencies, including the FBI, Department of Education, IRS, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (BATFE), and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Ramaswamy said, “The mistakes of the executive branch need to be addressed.”
He mentioned that “unelected administrative bureaucrats” are currently running the government, and this needs to be addressed by the executive branch.
“This is also to restore America’s autonomy and accountability. If elected leaders make mistakes, voters should have a choice,” Ramaswamy said. “But because there’s no accountability, from healthcare institutions to the Department of Defense, most decision-makers’ judgments are ineffective.”
“In historical terms, many scholars even argue that these people cannot be fired. Now, we have a different view of the environment that the Supreme Court has provided us in recent years, and we will act swiftly in a fairly expansive manner,” he said.
In June of this year, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned a 40-year-old legal precedent limiting federal agencies’ authority in regulating key issues affecting public health such as air quality and drug safety. Ramaswamy cited this ruling, emphasizing it as an opportunity to shrink the size of the government.
Ramaswamy and Musk are not cabinet members of the incoming Trump administration and, therefore, do not require confirmation from the Senate.
On Saturday evening, Ramaswamy and Musk, along with Tulsi Gabbard, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., attended a UFC event at Madison Square Garden in New York with Trump.
Gabbard is Trump’s nominee for National Intelligence Director, and Kennedy has been nominated to lead the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
On Thursday, DOGE posted a job advertisement on social platform X, seeking individuals willing to work more than 80 hours per week before Trump’s return to the White House to assist with government cost-cutting efforts.
During the election, both Musk and Ramaswamy supported Trump.