Speaker Johnson wants to cut government spending


Join Fox News to access this content

Plus special access to select articles and other premium content with your account – for free.

By entering your email address and pressing Continue, you agree to the Fox News Terms and Conditions Terms of Use And Privacy Policyincluding ours Notice of Financial Incentive.

Please enter a valid email address.

House Speaker Mike Johnson said he “would like” to cut spending on Planned Parenthood and PBS as Republicans look for ways to trim the fat from government spending through the newly created Ministry of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

Johnson, R-La., told Fox News host Martha MacCallum on “The Story” Wednesday that Republicans are “deeply committed” to saving money for American taxpayers and vowed to “give a blowtorch to the regulatory state.”

“This is a core principle for us. The government is too big. She does too many things, and almost nothing well, and we need to scale her back,” he said.

DEM LAWMAKER FACES REPUBLICAN DOGE CAUCUS WITH PRESSURE TO REMOVE SECRET SERVICE FROM DHS

Congress

Congress is rushing to be ready to implement the recommendations of Trump’s new DOGE commission (Getty Images)

Johnson added that the establishment of DOGE is a ‘generational opportunity’ to bring about transformational change within the administrative state and limit wasteful government spending.

President-elect Donald Trump tapped Vivek Ramaswamy and Elon Musk to lead DOGE in November, writing on his Truth Social account that the two would “pave the way for my administration to dismantle government bureaucracy, reduce redundant regulations, wasteful reduce spending and restructure the federal government. Agencies – Essential to the Save America Movement.”

Musk suggested during Trump’s rally at Madison Square Garden in late October that the US budget could be cut by “at least” $2 trillion.

Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy

Trump announced that Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy would lead the Department of Government Efficiency (“DOGE”) on Tuesday, November 12, 2024. (Getty Images)

Johnson said he invited Ramaswamy and Musk Thursday to Capitol Hill. He wants all Republicans in the Senate and House of Representatives to come together and hold a “brainstorming session” to formulate plans for the new Congress.

“We have a long list of areas where we know there is waste, fraud and abuse, and (the) oversight committee has done a lot of aggressive work on that. We will end the oversight committee in the House of Representatives. We just created a new subcommittee that will focus on that and find the places for the easy cuts. And then it’s about rolling back regulations,” he said.

BERNIE SANDERS ADMITS ELON MUSK HAS RIGHT TO JOIN PENTAGON WITH DOGE: ‘LOST TRACK OF BILLIONS’

“We have the ingredients. We now have the conditions to make really dramatic changes.”

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Johnson added that, in addition to eliminating wasteful government spending, priorities for the US House January will include extending Trump’s tax cuts and passing legislation related to border security and energy policy.