Elon Musk Takes Control Of Doge, As Vivek Ramaswamy Steps Down

Elon Musk is now in sole charge of Donald Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (Doge), which has a remit to offer advice on cutting “wasteful” US government spending.

Donald Trump began his second term in office by signing many executive orders, one of which announced it “establishes the Department of Government Efficiency to implement the President’s DOGE Agenda, by modernising Federal technology and software to maximise governmental efficiency and productivity.”

“The United States Digital Service is hereby publicly renamed as the United States DOGE Service (USDS) and shall be established in the Executive Office of the President,” the order states.

Doge creation

It comes after the CEOs of many big name tech giants, which also included the world’s three richest men, had attended the Monday inauguration of Donald Trump as the 47th President of the United States.

In November Donald Trump appointed both Elon Musk and former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy to head up an advisor group called the Department of Government Efficiency.

Doge is not a government department but will instead offer the White House “advice and guidance” and will partner with the Office of Management and Budget to “drive large scale structural reform, and create an entrepreneurial approach to government never seen before.”

Musk has publicly stated they will seek to cut approximately $2 trillion from the federal budget and cut regulations.

Given that paying federal employees accounts for only 15 percent of the federal budget, this potentially means that the bulk of cuts will fall on government projects, budgets and initiatives.

Vivek Ramaswamy steps down

Silicon UK had already reported on media reports that Elon Musk was seeking to remove Vivek Ramaswamy as co head of Doge, as Ramaswamy seeks to become governor of Ohio.

Now the Associated Press has received official confirmation that Ramaswamy won’t serve on Trump’s government efficiency commission, leaving billionaire Elon Musk to run the cost-cutting operation alone.

Ramaswamy, a biotech entrepreneur who sought the GOP nomination for president in 2024, has signalled plans to run for governor of Ohio next year, AP reported.

“Vivek Ramaswamy played a critical role in helping us create DOGE,” Anna Kelly, a spokesperson for the commission, told AP 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.”

A native of Cincinnati, Ramaswamy, 39, is one of the world’s wealthiest millennials, after he made his fortune in biotech before turning his attention to politics.

He rose to prominence on the right as a fierce critic of identity politics and programs that advance diversity, equity and inclusion.

AP noted that he had positioned himself as a thought leader of Trump’s populist “Make America Great Again” movement.

He endorsed Trump in the GOP primary after finishing fourth in Iowa’s leadoff caucuses.