WASHINGTON, DC – Republicans in Congress plan to work closely with Tesla’s CEO Elon Musk and former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, the pair co-leading Trump’s newly formed austerity project, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
The DOGE duo made their rounds with lawmakers in Washington, DC on Thursday and spent the morning with members of the Senate DOGE Caucus before heading to a meeting with House GOP leaders and House DOGE Caucus representatives.
The pair, who will lead efforts to reduce government spending and strengthen government efficiency under the new Trump administration, ended their day on Capitol Hill with a joint meeting with the Republicans from both chambers.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., incoming chair of the DOGE House subcommittee, revealed that Musk said during the meeting that there would be a “naughty list” and a “nice list” for lawmakers.
GOP SENATORS ‘VERY IMPRESSED’ BY MUSK, RAMASWAMY DOGE Cadres AMIDST MEETINGS AT CAPITOL HILL
Tesla CEO Elon Musk, co-chair of the newly announced Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), arrives on Capitol Hill with his son on December 5, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Anna Geldmaker)
“There will be much more expression in the coming days,” Johnson said as he left the meeting. “Stay tuned, because there’s more to come.”
Co-chairs of the DOGE House caucus said that during the meeting with Musk and Ramaswamy, there was a “major discussion” about education and the firing of government employees.
“There is so much waste, fraud and abuse. There is so much inefficiency. Where do we start?” DOGE Caucus Co-Chairman Rep. Aaron Bean, R-Fla., said.
He suggested there was already “low-hanging fruit” for improving government efficiency that Republicans could agree on, including the issues of education and the federal workforce.
“There was a big discussion about education. There was a big discussion about layoffs of government employees that are happening in programs across the country. This was not ‘pick your program, select it and get agreement.’ This was the ideas forum,” said co-chair Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Texas.
REP. JARED MOSKOWITZ FIRST DEMOCRAT TO PARTICIPATE IN CONGRESSIONAL DOGE CAUCUS
Vivek Ramaswamy, chairman and co-founder of Strive Asset Management, center, arrives to meet with lawmakers on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on Thursday, December 5, 2024. (to Drago)
The sessions also highlighted how the timetable for DOGE, which is expected to end no later than July 4, 2026, on the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, will help ensure the agency’s efficiency.
Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Texas, walked out of the meeting and told reporters that “we’re going to gut the fish.”
Rep. However, Chip Roy, R-Texas, was skeptical that they were relying on the new department to reduce costs.
“It’s a little rich to say, ‘Oh DOGE, save us.’ What, of ourselves?” Roy told reporters. “What I told them is that their best role is to expose the absolute stupidity that comes from this body.”
President-elect Donald Trump has asked Elon Musk to co-lead DOGE next year. (Brandon Bell)
But Rep.-elect Mike Haridolopos, R-Fla., argued it was good to take an outside look at how the federal government is run.
“The lowest hanging fruit, one thing we need to do overall is ultimately pass a balanced budget amendment,” he said of the issues that could help Congress reduce waste. “I think the second is that people have to show up for work. Everyone else in America doesn’t show up for work, they don’t get paid. And so these government workers have to show up for work.”
Before the meeting with Congress, Musk was asked if he wanted to Democratic members to be part of DOGE conversations, to which he responded “yes.”
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Musk spoke Thursday morning with incoming Senate Majority Leader John Thune, while Ramaswamy met with the Senate DOGE Caucus to hear from chairman Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa., who is a 60-page proposal for possible cuts.
