The Department of Government Efficiency (or DOGE) which, until this week, was led by Trump acolytes Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, claimed it wanted to reorganize the federal bureaucracy and save money by firing large numbers of government employees. However, in an ironic twist, the first employee DOGE provided was one of its own: Ramaswamy.
“It is my honor to help support the creation of DOGE,” Ramaswamy tweeted on Mondayfollowing persistent rumors of his ouster. “I am confident that Elon and team will succeed in streamlining the government.” Ramaswamy's sudden departure from DOGE was accompanied by rumors that the billionaire was preparing to step up a gubernatorial campaign in Ohio. “I will have more to say soon about my future plans in Ohio,” Ramaswamy said Monday.
Ramaswamy has been largely sidelined in the MAGA-world since December, when he controversially tweeted about H-1B temporary worker visa and skilled immigrants, decrying a part of American culture that “honors mediocrity over excellence.” The tweet started infighting in Trumpworld and exposed an ideological divide between MAGA types who value skilled immigrants and those, apparently, who don't.
A source close to Ramaswamy told the press that he remains on good terms with Musk and that he will be “cheering on DOGE” from the sidelines. Trump's transition officials also sought to cast the sudden departure in a favorable light. “Vivek Ramaswamy played a critical role in helping us create DOGE,” said transition spokeswoman Anna Kelly. “He wants to run for elections as soon as possible, which requires him to stay out of the DOGE based on the structure we announced today. We are very grateful to him for his contributions in the last 2 months and expect him to perform an important role in the remaking of America.”
However, other reports are less charitable about the situation. In fact, a recent report by Politico confirms that Ramaswamy was forced out with great prejudice by Musk. A Republican strategist said on the way out that Ramaswamy “just burned bridges and finally he burned Elon.” The strategist added: “Everybody wants him to come out to Mar-a-Lago, outside of DC” The article further claimed that Musk “made it known he wanted Ramaswamy from DOGE,” citing three person familiar with the situation.
Ramaswamy's tweet about H1B visas was partially credited with his dismissal from DOGE. “They wanted him out before the tweet — but he was kicked to the curb when it came out,” a source told Politico.
If its overall mission is clear, DOGE has—until this week—remained largely shapeless. It calls itself a government “department” but isn't one and, while it claims broad powers (including the ability to “suppress” federal agencies), it's unclear what legal or regulatory authority it has. No one outside the organization seems to know who pays the salaries of the organization's personnel. Increasingly, it appears that DOGE is an entity controlled by, and working for the interests of, Musk. The Washington Post has previously reported that DOGE's 50-ish staff work out of the offices of SpaceXthe defense contractor owned by Musk. In addition, one of the top management roles in DOGE is now occupied by Steve Daviswho is also the current president of Musk's Boring Company. Davis has been called Musk's “cost cutter” and notably helped Musk pursue his aggressive strategy of shedding Twitter, when Musk laid off about 6,000 employees, reducing its total workforce by 80 percent.
This week, Trump cleared things up a bit when he was issued an executive order which reorganized an Obama-era government modernization unit, the US Digital Service, and turned it into the US DOGE Service. That EO, however, doesn't speak much to the broad powers necessary to carry out Musk's break-down-the-government goals. Instead, its first order of business is to modernize “government-wide information technology” and update the agency's software to private-sector standards. A fact sheet related to the order also claims that the DOGE will “work with the Office of Management and Budget and all agencies to shrink the federal workforce, federal spending, and federal regulatory burdens,” Semafor previously reported.
With Ramaswamy gone, it appears that Musk has only continued to consolidate his power. The New York Times reported Monday Musk will likely occupy office space in the West Wing himself, giving him close and constant access to Trump.
The public interest law firm National Security Counselors DOGE sued just minutes after Trump's inaugurationwhich argues—in its suit—that the DOGE is effectively a presidential advisory committee that does not follow regulatory protocol. Under the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA), advisory committees are obligated to follow certain transparency and hiring rules, the Washington Post reports. If the DOGE is, in fact, an advisory group (as some press reports supposedly it resembles) it will need to follow those rules.
“If the Trump administration were to change the structure of DOGE to become a government office, it would be possible to defend the case,” Kel McClanahan, executive director of National Security Counselors told the Post. “But it would subject Musk and others to a whole bunch of ethics laws that I don't think they want to be subject to.” DOGE is also being sued by Public Citizena non-profit consumer advocacy organization, which similarly alleges that the DOGE is violating the law by not following the advisory committee's regulations. Meanwhile, the project launched its own .gov-certified website on Tuesday. Here's how it currently looks:
