The Hill reported that Rahm Emanuel – the U.S. Ambassador to Japan and prominent Democratic figure – urged Democrats in Japan to embrace Donald Trump’s “Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)” initiative. He saw it as a chance to influence the agenda and to challenge Republican priorities.

Emanuel is a political strategist who has called for Democrats to embrace DOGE. DOGE is a newly formed commission that’s led by Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, and Vivek Ramaswamy, biotech entrepreneur.

Donald Trump, the President-elect, created a panel to streamline government operations and identify regulatory reductions.

“I’d say welcome it. “I would welcome it. I am 100% ready to have a meeting with you. Let’s get a full schedule that will put them on the back foot,” Emanuel said in an interview Monday with New York Times columnist Ezra Klein.

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Emanuel has been mentioned as a possible candidate to lead the Democratic National Committee. He emphasized that Democrats must seize this moment and shape the direction for government reforms, rather than rejecting it outright.

He added that “they have to choose between what they claim they are for and what their real interests are”, positioning the DOGE test as a comparison of Republican priorities against their stated goals.

Former Chicago Mayor also invoked a Yogi-Berra quote to illustrate his strategy: “A part of a strategic approach is to put people in. As Yogi used to say, when you reach the fork in a road, take it.”

Emanuel said Democrats should take on the DOGE initiative with a proactive, comprehensive agenda. “People want something to be changed, reform. I am 100% in favor. Let’s go. I couldn’t be happier. He said he was “ready to meet today” and that he would be able to give a full agenda of ten topics to the panel.

DOGE is led by Musk and Ramaswamy and aims to eliminate “thousands of” federal regulations, and justify major workforce reductions in government agencies. Trump stated that outside experts will be consulted by the commission.

Political observers have noted that the panel’s advisory role may limit its influence and that implementing its recommendation could face legal and logistical hurdles.

Emanuel cited the 1993 National Partnership for Reinventing Government of former Vice President Al Gore as a model for Democrats. The initiative was led by Gore during the Clinton Administration. It aimed to reform government while also advancing public security and other Democratic goals.

It worked to reform the government. Emanuel also noted that the funding of public safety and various other initiatives were also a priority for Democrats. He described DOGE as a way for Democrats to have a say in government operations and hold Republicans accountable.

Musk and Ramaswamy described their vision of DOGE as an efficiency overhaul. They said the initiative could modernize administrative structures.