US News: Elon Musk updates his X bio to “The people voted for major government reform” as Vivek Ramaswamy states, “We will not go gently,@elonmusk”, after Donald Trump announces their appointment to lead the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)
Vivek Ramaswamy, the Indian-American entrepreneur and former GOP presidential candidate, also announced his withdrawal from the race for the Ohio Senate seat following a statement from President-elect Donald Trump. Trump revealed that Ramaswamy, along with tech mogul Elon Musk, would be tasked with leading the newly proposed “Department of Government Efficiency.”
Ramaswamy confirmed his decision on the microblogging platform X (formerly Twitter), stating, “And yes, this means I’m withdrawing myself from consideration for the pending Senate appointment in Ohio. Whoever Governor DeWine appoints to JD (Vance)’s seat has some big shoes to fill. I will help them however I can.”
Ramaswamy was being considered to fill the Senate seat vacated by JD Vance's vice presidency. Ramaswamy had suspended his campaign earlier in January and pledged his support to Donald Trump for the 2024 US Presidential election.
In his announcement, Donald Trump explained that Vivek Ramaswamy and Elon Musk would work outside of traditional government structures to provide "advice and guidance" to the White House, collaborating with the Office of Management and Budget to spearhead “large-scale structural reform.”
This initiative is designed to introduce an “entrepreneurial approach to Government never seen before,” which Donald Trump claimed would shake up entrenched government systems.
Vivek Ramaswamy and Elon Musk's roles remain somewhat unclear, though Donald Trump’s comments suggest they will serve in advisory capacities rather than formal government positions.
It is yet to be determined whether their new roles will be governed by the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA), which dictates the operational guidelines for external advisory groups.
Elon Musk, a vocal critic of ‘government inefficiency’, expressed his enthusiasm about the new venture on X, sharing, “Department of Government Efficiency. The merch will be (fire emojis).” He later added, “Threat to democracy? Nope, threat to BUREAUCRACY!!!”
The partnership between Musk and Trump is not entirely unexpected, given Musk’s frequent appearances at Mar-a-Lago and his outspoken support for the former president.
Donald Trump has previously discussed the possibility of Musk overseeing a group designed to recommend ways to reduce government spending and improve efficiency. Elon Musk even suggested that he could identify over $2 trillion in savings, approximately a third of total annual government expenditure.
