Tennessee’s Tim Burchett says he’s joining DOGE government efficiency committee

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) - It would appear that East Tennessee will be well-represented in Elon Musk and President Donald Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency, also known as DOGE.

Rep. Tim Burchett, who represents Tennessee second congressional district in Washington, said on Tuesday that he’ll be joining the DOGE Committee.

Just hours after being sworn in, Trump signed an executive order cementing the nongovernmental task force aimed at slashing federal jobs, programs and regulations.

That being said, it still isn’t entirely clear what the creation of DOGE will mean for the federal government. The order claims DOGE is a temporary thing, putting an 18-month timer on the agency, which will terminate on July 4, 2026.

Previous Coverage: Ramaswamy won’t serve on Trump’s government efficiency commission as he mulls gubernatorial run

Originally, the president had tabbed billionaire owner of X (formerly Twitter), Tesla and SpaceX Elon Musk to head up the agency with Vivek Ramaswamy. Also on Monday, Ramaswamy bowed out of the cost-cutting initiative, signaling plans for an Ohio governor run.

Musk’s role in the agency has raised ethics concerns because of his ties to businesses like SpaceX and Tesla. SpaceX, which Musk founded, has large defense contracts and competes against NASA, while his electric car company directly benefits from decisions Trump makes while in office.

Burchett has not released any details on what this new role will entail.