Vivek Ramaswamy will not be a part of this commission headed by President Donald Trump, after which the entire responsibility of this cost-control campaign has fallen into the hands of billionaire Elon Musk.
Officials confirmed this just hours after Trump was sworn in on Monday.
Biotech entrepreneur Ramaswami, a Republican who is seeking the presidency in 2024, has hinted at running for governor of Ohio next year.
Ramaswami, 39, of Cincinnati, had expressed interest in the Senate seat recently vacated by Vice President J.D. Vance. In fact, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine has chosen Lieutenant Governor John Husted as Vance’s successor, due to which the seat is becoming vacant next year.
“Vivek Ramaswamy has been instrumental in helping us create DOGE,” Anna Kelly, a spokeswoman for the commission, said in a statement.
He said, “He (Ramaswamy) wishes to contest elections soon, for which he will have to stay out of the Commission. This is the composition of the commission, which has been announced today (Tuesday). We thank him very much for his contributions over the past two months and look forward to him playing an important role in making America great again.”
Trump had chosen Musk and Ramaswamy to chair the commission. The commission is a nongovernmental task force created by Trump to find ways to fire federal workers, cut programs and reduce federal regulation.