Donald Trump’s much-vaunted but ill-defined new “department of government efficiency” (Doge) program lost one of its leaders hours after the new president took office on Monday, as Vivek Ramaswamy bowed out of the government cost-cutting taskforce, leaving Elon Musk in sole charge.
Ramaswamy’s exit came as he reportedly plans to run for Ohio governor. Trump chose Ramaswamy to lead Doge, a non-governmental organization, alongside Musk in November.
It leaves Musk, the world’s richest man, in sole charge, which will trouble some given he has said “at least” $2tn could be cut from federal spending. Musk had “made it known that he wanted Ramaswamy out of DOGE in recent days”, Politico reported, a situation apparently sparked after the pair clashed over the tech industry’s ability to hire foreign-born workers.
“Vivek Ramaswamy played a critical role in helping us create DOGE,” Anna Kelly, a spokesperson for the commission, said in a statement.
“He intends to run for elected office soon, which requires him to remain outside of DOGE, based on the structure that we announced today. We thank him immensely for his contributions over the last 2 months and expect him to play a vital role in making America great again.”
Ramaswamy posted on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter and now owned by Musk: “It was my honor to help support the creation of Doge. I’m confident that Elon & team will succeed in streamlining government. I’ll have more to say very soon about my future plans in Ohio. Most importantly, we’re all-in to help President Trump make America great again!”
The 39-year-old ran for president in 2024 but dropped out of the race after a disappointing performance in the Iowa caucuses. Ohio’s incumbent governor, Republican Mike DeWine, will be forced by term limits to step down in 2027, leaving a potential opening for Ramaswamy to revive his nascent political career.
Musk’s leadership of Doge has raised ethical concerns. His SpaceX company has huge defense contracts with the US government, while Tesla, Musk’s electric-car company, could also benefit from Trump’s decisions in office.
Doge was sued within minutes of Trump being inaugurated, with a lawsuit alleging it violates federal transparency rules on disclosure, hiring and other practices.
The public interest law firm National Security Counselors said Doge meets the bar to be considered a “federal advisory committee”, a class of legal entity regulated to ensure the government receives transparent and balanced advice, but fails to have “fairly balanced” representation, keep records of its meetings and be open to public scrutiny, as required by law.
