Tesla CEO Elon Musk and former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy came to Capitol Hill Thursday with budget-cutting proposals that turned some heads.
Their planned 'Department of Government Efficiency' or 'DOGE' will not be an actual department or cabinet-level agency, but an advisory body making recommendations on how to streamline and cut the massive waste from the federal government, as much as $2 trillion.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) told reporters, "We have long lamented the size and scope of the government that it has grown too large. Government is too big. It does too many things, and it does almost nothing well. We believe it's an historic moment for the country. And these two gentlemen are going to help navigate through this exciting new day."
Some lawmakers were said to be "very impressed" after meeting with the two men.
Republican Congressman Steve Scalise (R-LA) said, "There are a lot of really good ideas being talked about, and so I think these meetings today have been really helpful to start the process."
Some lawmakers, like Tennessee Republican Congressman Tim Burchett, sounded a bit skeptical, telling reporters, "They've got some concrete ideas and a plan, but the problem is in that room, you could have a great plan but not have the votes to do it."
Among the many proposed cuts: the Department of Education, Pentagon waste, and redundancy in the government workforce. Funds for Public Broadcasting and Planned Parenthood could also be cut, along with getting rid of some government employees working from home.
MORE Musk and Ramaswamy Aim to Use DOGE to Slash Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Giant
Musk shared this photo said to show a Veterans Affairs manager working while soaking in a bathtub.
The chair of the Senate's DOGE Caucus, Iowa Republican Sen. Joni Ernst, unveiled a 60-page cost-cutting proposal in a meeting with senators Thursday. On her list, empty government buildings, science funding for studies like "how fast a shrimp runs on a treadmill," and secret government "slush funds."
1. Ghost Workers
We are spending $15.7 billion a year on underutilized buildings.
Many are vacant!
Bureaucrats refuse to show up to work, so why are we paying for empty buildings?
— Joni Ernst (@SenJoniErnst) November 25, 2024
3. Undo Biden's Billion-Dollar Boondoggles
Biden has spent $7.5 billion to build 17 EV charging stations and $42 billion to expand rural broadband but has connected zero people to the internet.
Pulling the plug on these programs will be the only efficient part about them.
— Joni Ernst (@SenJoniErnst) November 25, 2024
But as for the full range of cuts and whether they can even make it through Congress, famous for its "pork barrel spending," that remains unclear.
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