Donald Trump's much-touted but ill-defined new "Department of Government Effectiveness" (Doge) program has lost a leader, Vivek Ramaswah, hours after the new president took office on Monday Vivek Ramaswamy has quit the government's cost-cutting task force, leaving Elon Musk in sole charge.

Ramaswamy's withdrawal comes as he reportedly plans to run for Ohio governor. In November, Trump selected Ramaswamy to lead the NGO Doge alongside Musk.

That leaves Musk, the world's richest man, solely responsible, which will cause trouble for some given that he has said federal spending could be cut by "at least" $2 trillion. According to Politico, Musk "has said in recent days that he wants Ramaswamy to leave DOGE," a situation that apparently arose after the two clashed over the tech industry's ability to hire foreign-born workers.

"Vivek Ramaswamy played a key role in helping us create DOGE," commission spokesperson Anna Kelly said in a statement.

"He intends to run for office soon, which requires him to remain outside DOGE under the structure we announced today. We are deeply grateful for his contributions over the past two months and look forward to his role in making America great again vital role.”

Ramaswamy posted on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter and now owned by Musk: "I am honored to help support the creation of Doge. I am confident that Elon and team will successfully streamline government. I More about my future plans in Ohio soon. Most importantly, we are fully committed to helping President Trump make America great again!"

The 39-year-old ran for president in 2024 but dropped out of the race after a disappointing performance in the Iowa caucuses. Ohio's current governor, Republican Mike DeWine, is set to resign in 2027 due to term limits, leaving a potential opportunity for Ramaswamy to revive his nascent political career.

Musk’s leadership of the Governor raises ethical concerns. His company SpaceX has huge defense contracts with the U.S. government, and Musk's electric car company Tesla may also benefit from decisions made while Trump is in office.

Doge was indicted within minutes of Trump's inauguration in a lawsuit alleging violations of federal transparency rules on disclosures, hiring and other practices.

National security advisers at the public interest law firm said Dotch met the criteria for a "federal advisory committee," a class of regulated legal entities designed to ensure the government receives transparent and balanced advice, but failed to have "a reasonably balanced ” is representative, records its meetings and is subject to public scrutiny as required by law.