Biotech entrepreneur and former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy will no longer co-lead the Department of Government Efficiency alongside Elon Musk. DOGE, which was announced by Trump soon after his electoral victory in November, is designed to slash federal spending through budget cuts and mass firings. The White House confirmed Ramaswamy’s departure as co-chair to the Associated Press just hours after President Donald Trump was sworn in for his second term. This announcement comes after several news outlets published reports late last week indicating Ramaswamy would leave his role. Ramaswamy was forced out after claiming American work culture “venerated mediocrity over excellence” in a social media post last month during the debate on the H-1B skilled workers visa among Republicans, Politico reports. While Musk and Ramaswamy have both voiced support for the program, Politico reports the billionaire iced his co-chair out soon after the post angered allies.
One source told the outlet Ramaswamy also had not done any work for DOGE since early December.“They wanted him out before the tweet — but kicked him to the curb when that came out,” an unnamed source familiar with DOGE’s internal dynamics told Politico. Ramaswamy had “burned through the bridges and he finally burned Elon,” before his departure, an unnamed Republican strategist told Politico. “Everyone wants him out of Mar-a-Lago, out of D.C.” CBS News also reported Sunday the change in leadership comes after friction between Ramaswamy and incoming agency staff. Those close to Musk have also undercut Ramaswamy in recent weeks and are frustrated with his lack of participation in the heavy lifting they must do, according to the outlet. Meanwhile, spokesperson Anna Kelly told the AP Ramaswamy “played a critical role” in helping create DOGE. “He intends to run for elected office soon, which requires him to remain outside of DOGE, based on the structure that we announced today,” Kelly said. “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 is now expected to launch a bid for Ohio governor to replace the term-limited Republican state leader Mike DeWine. If Ramaswamy launches his campaign and wins, it will be his first time holding public office. The entrepreneur and Cincinnati native previously ran a Republican presidential campaign before dropping out in January 2024 and endorsing Trump. In Ohio, Ramaswamy would likely have to face off against the state’s attorney general Dave Yost, who has made headlines for fighting to defend the state’s six-week abortion ban law. Meanwhile, former Ohio Department of Health Director Amy Acton recently announced her campaign to run as a Democrat.
Now, it appears the world’s richest man will be the sole leader of DOGE — at least for now. The Trump administration was already sued at least four times on Inauguration Day over DOGE, with three of the lawsuits arguing it is violating a federal transparency law. Trump is expected to soon sign an executive order that will establish DOGE as operating “within” the US government, Semafor reported, despite Trump’s initial statement that it would be an advisory board operating outside of government. Should Trump sign the order, it would be among the 200 executive orders he is expected to issue within his first day of office.
It’s unclear what exactly will happen to these lawsuits if the order is signed.
However, Kel McClanahan, an attorney with the public interest law firm National Security Counselors and author of one of the lawsuits, told The Washington Post the filing would still be valid even if some DOGE staffers are working within the government. He also noted that their lawsuit would be moot if DOGE becomes a government office. The National Security Counselors’ lawsuit also claims DOGE has hired at least 17 employees, excluding Musk and Ramaswamy. This group includes several technology executives, former Trump staffers and personal associates of both Musk and Ramaswamy. “Not a single member of DOGE is a federal employee or represents the perspective of federal employees, despite the evidence that DOGE intends to provide recommendations regarding federal employment practices and ways to reduce the size of the federal workforce,” the lawsuit reads.
