Musk and Ramaswamy's efficiency initiative targets California high-speed rail and federal spending cuts

Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy's "Department of Government Efficiency" (DOGE) is targeting federal programs for budget cuts, aiming to reduce the federal budget by $2 trillion. Their focus includes California's high-speed rail project, which has faced delays and cost overruns. Musk has criticized the rail project, previously promoting the Hyperloop as an alternative. Ramaswamy labeled the rail a "wasteful vanity project" and called for an end to federal funding, which had been reinstated under President Biden after being cut during Trump's term. During a recent meeting with Republican lawmakers, Musk and Ramaswamy discussed potential cuts to mandatory spending programs like Social Security and Medicare. Musk also suggested eliminating federal subsidies for electric vehicles, which could benefit his company, Tesla.