Tesla CEO Elon Musk and former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, co-leaders of President-elect Trump's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), engaged with lawmakers on Capitol Hill Thursday to discuss streamlining government spending and operations. The duo met with both Senate and House Republicans, including members of the DOGE caucuses in both chambers.

Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, the incoming chair of the House DOGE subcommittee, mentioned Musk's plan to categorize lawmakers based on their cooperation with the initiative. Details about this classification are expected to be revealed soon.

Discussions during the meetings centered on identifying areas of wasteful spending and improving efficiency. Topics included education reform and addressing redundancies within the federal workforce. Representatives Aaron Bean and Pete Sessions emphasized the focus on finding common ground for immediate action, with education and federal workforce optimization being key priorities.

The DOGE initiative aims to achieve its objectives by July 4, 2026, coinciding with the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Representative Troy Nehls expressed a strong commitment to cutting government spending, while Representative Chip Roy voiced skepticism about the new department's ability to effect change, urging it to focus on exposing inefficiencies within Congress itself.

Representative-elect Mike Haridolopos advocated for external oversight of government operations and suggested passing a balanced budget amendment and enforcing stricter attendance policies for federal employees. Musk expressed openness to including Democrats in the DOGE conversations.

Prior to the congressional meetings, Musk met with incoming Senate Majority Leader John Thune, while Ramaswamy met with the Senate DOGE Caucus, chaired by Senator Joni Ernst, who presented a comprehensive proposal outlining potential spending cuts.