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Vivek Ramaswamy, chosen to head the newly created Department of Government Efficiency, proposes cutting off funding for federal programs that have lost Congressional approval, including funding for veterans' health care, NASA and early education. did.
The new office, nicknamed “DOGE” after co-leader Elon Musk's favorite meme, will operate “outside of government” and will “cut wasteful spending and restructure federal agencies.” The purpose is to Two days after his nomination, Mr. Ramaswamy proposed deep cuts in federal funding, starting with a list of expired spending authorizations.
Some Congressional funds were approved with a certain deadline before the approval expired. However, they continue to receive funding. A recent report from the Congressional Budget Office found that more than 1,200 programs cost more than $516 billion annually. Once the authorization expires, Congress can extend the program through new legislation or new funding, CBO said.
Ramaswamy consulted with X earlier this week and wrote about his first steps.
“We should not be forcing the government to spend money on programs that have expired, but that is exactly what is happening today. “There are more than 1,200 programs that are no longer approved but still receive funding,” he wrote.
“This is just crazy. We can and should save hundreds of billions of dollars each year by defunding government programs that Congress no longer authorizes. We defend the other side. We challenge politicians who don't agree with us.
Social media users were quick to point out several programs that received funding despite the lack of current Congressional approval. One is the Veterans Health Care Eligibility Reform Act of 1996, which helps fund veteran health care. This authorization expired in 1998, but it still receives approximately $120 billion in funding.
The company was not the only notable institution sought to raise funds. Other bills included support for NASA and the International Space Station. Another area is tied to Head Start, which helps provide early childhood education to low-income students.
It's unclear whether Mr. Ramaswamy was aware of specific programs that could be cut or waived.
He then expanded on his thoughts.
“If it doesn't advance the interests of the American people, we'll put it on the chopping block. Amazingly, even though approval from Congress has *already expired,* There are many programs that are draining $$$. It needs to end next year,” the former presidential candidate wrote.
Ramaswamy and Musk are tasked with leading an agency created by President Trump that aims to rein in government spending. Musk estimates that $2 trillion could be cut from federal payrolls.
“We are extremely grateful to the thousands of Americans who have expressed interest in supporting DOGE,” the agency wrote on Thursday. “We don’t need any more part-time idea generators. We need ultra-high IQ small-government revolutionaries willing to work 80+ hours a week to cut costs down the drain. Please DM this account with your resume. Elon & Vivek will review the top 1% of applicants.”
Musk acknowledged that DOGE's working conditions are not at all typical.
“This will be a boring job, you will make many enemies, and the reward will be zero,” he wrote to X. “How wonderful!”
