Democratic senator’s clever one-liner mocks Trump’s ‘Dept. of Government Efficiency’

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) mocked President-elect Donald Trump over his move to create a “Department of Government Efficiency” in his second administration.
Trump announced late Monday that he will be tapping tech billionaire Elon Musk and conservative entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy to co-lead the new department—following through on his campaign promise to cut the size of the federal government.
However, Warren took to social media platform X to point out the irony that an office of “efficiency” is being led by two people instead of one.
“The Office of Government Efficiency is off to a great start with split leadership: two people to do the work of one person. Yeah, this seems REALLY efficient,” Warren wrote on X.
Since clinching the White House last week, Trump is swiftly moving to announce his Cabinet and administration picks for his second term. He is expected to continue to pick loyalists for the core members of his team that are more inclined to carry out his agenda than those he selected in his first term.
Musk, one of Trump’s most vocal and wealthiest supporters, has been expected to have a role in the administration to reduce the size of the federal government and to cut regulations. He has reportedly been in Mar-a-Lago advising the president-elect on other choices for the administration.
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.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.