Washington — Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, who was chosen by President-elect Donald Trump to lead the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency or DogeThey are meeting with lawmakers on Thursday as they look to drum up support for cost-cutting initiatives.
House Speaker Mike Johnson is hosting Musk and Ramaswamy on Capitol Hill to discuss reform ideas with lawmakers after Trump announced he would lead the effort last month. The President-elect outlined that both men would “pave the way for my administration to eliminate government bureaucracy, reduce excess regulation, cut wasteful spending, and restructure federal agencies.”
Last month, GOP Representatives Aaron Bean of Florida and Pete Sessions of Texas launched the DOGE caucus in the House, while Republican Senator Joni Ernst of Iowa launched its counterpart in the Senate. ernst put off effort on Fox News last week, noting that she has a decade-long track record on waste projects that she is bringing to the initiative.
“We look forward to working with the caucus and ensuring that DOGE is successful,” Ernst said.
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In recent days, some Democrats have said they will join the caucus or even expressed interest. Rep. Jared Moskowitz, a Florida Democrat, told reporters Wednesday that he is “not afraid to have the conversation,” adding that “staying on the safe side and not having the conversation is not going to help anyone.”
“I think Democrats should embrace government efficiency,” Moskowitz said after becoming the first person in his party to join the caucus. “It doesn't mean we're going to start cutting services, but I think it might be more efficient.”
Senator Elizabeth Warren, a Massachusetts Democrat, told reporters Thursday that she would be willing to work with Musk if he wanted to “change government contracting to cut billions of dollars of waste from the Pentagon budget.”
“We are here to work on behalf of the American people,” Warren said. “And if that means working with Elon Musk, I'm ready. And if it means fighting Elon Musk, I'm ready for that too.”
Still, the DOGE initiative with its meme-inspired acronym has raised operational questions, including what authority it would have to cut spending, whether it is authorized by Congress, and what spending it would target.
Musk and Ramavasamy mentioned They are aiming to cut $500 billion in annual spending. But about two-thirds of federal spending is mandatory, while the bulk of discretionary spending goes to defense. Areas both men said they want to target for cuts include organizations like The Corporation for Public Broadcasting, international organizations that receive grants, and Planned Parenthood. Musk and Ramaswamy have also outlined plans to reduce the number of federal employees.
Ramaswamy first came under Trump's radar. going against him In the presidential primary. Meanwhile, Musk, the world's richest man, became a key part of Trump's 2024 presidential campaign, even offering before the election Give $1 million a day to sign His political action committee's petition supporting the Constitution. He Butler appears with Trump at a rally in PennsylvaniaHave been coming to Mar-a-Lago regularly before and since the election.
Contributed to this report.