By LISA MASCARO and KEVIN FREKING
WASHINGTON (AP) — This is it DOGE Time on the US Capitol.
Trump appointed the 2 business titans as his boss Ministry of Government Efficiencycommissioned with Firing federal employeesCuts to government programs and cuts to federal regulations — all a part of what he calls his “Save America” agenda for a second term within the White House.
“I think this will be a great start to the whole process,” said Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., who will chair a House oversight subcommittee in the brand new 12 months to “build the bridge between Congress and to beat DOGE”. .”
Washington has seen this before, with ambitious efforts to cut back the dimensions and scope of the federal government, which has happened prior to now encounter resistance as the general public faces cuts to trusted programs that tens of millions of Americans depend on for jobs, health care, military security and on a regular basis needs.
But this time it's Trump Occupation of his administration with battle-tested architects of comprehensive proposals, a few of that are outlined in Project 2025to greatly reduce and transform government. Musk and Ramaswamy said they plan to work with the White House Office of Management and Budget, which is led by Trump nominee Russ Vought Mastermind of past cuts.
“DOGE has a historic opportunity for structural cuts in the federal government,” Musk and Ramaswamy wrote in a single Editorial within the Wall Street Journal. “We are prepared for the onslaught.”
The duo was invited by the Speaker of the House of Representatives Mike Johnson to go to Capitol Hill and face a primary private test with House and Senate lawmakers – some are excited to see what they'll be as much as.
“I'm excited to get out there and do something,” said Rep. Aaron Bean, R-Fla., who together with Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Texas, launched what they call the DOGE Caucus within the House greater than 50 Republicans and two Democratic members.
Bean said the DOGE Caucus will launch an email tip hotline for people to report wasteful spending. He also envisions a form of scoreboard that folks can view on a web site that shows “how many jobs we've cut, which agencies we've cut, and what the actual number is.”
In the Senate, Sens. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, and Rick Scott, R-Florida, have launched an analogous caucus.
Although neither Musk nor Ramaswamy have much experience in public service, they’ve successes within the private sector – Musk's corporations do extensive government contracts – and enthusiasm for Trump’s agenda after campaigning alongside him in the ultimate stretch of the election.
The richest man on the earth, Musk Millions poured in an try to eliminate the electorate to assist the previous president return to the White House. He is thought politically for transforming the favored social media site formerly often known as Twitter into X, a platform prized by Trump's MAGA enthusiasts.
Despite its name, the Department of Government Efficiency is neither a department nor a part of the federal government, which exempts Musk and Ramaswamy from undergoing the everyday ethics and background checks required for federal employment. They said they weren’t paid for his or her work.
An excellent government group has said that as a presidential advisory body, DOGE must be expected to stick to traditional practices of transparency, equal representation and public participation – as was the case with similar advisory bodies from the Reagan to Obama administrations .
The Federal Advisory Committee Act “is expressly designed for situations like this,” Lisa Gilbert and Robert Weissman, co-chairs of Public Citizen, wrote in a letter to the Trump transition team.
“If the government wants to turn to unelected and politically unaccountable people to recommend up to $2 trillion in budget cuts, it must ensure that those recommendations come from a balanced and transparent process that is not rigged to help insiders.”
According to the Congressional Budget Office, the country's $6 trillion federal budget repeatedly runs a deficit, which this 12 months was $1.8 trillion, a historic high. It hasn't been balanced for the reason that Clinton administration greater than twenty years ago.
Republicans generally blame what they see as exorbitant spending for the deficit, while Democrats point to tax cuts under Republican Presidents Trump and George W. Bush because the primary cause.
Last 12 months's revenue as a share of gross domestic product was just under the 50-year average, while spending was 23.4% of GDP, compared with the 50-year average of 21.1%.
Some of the largest spending increases last 12 months were on politically popular programs that lawmakers were reluctant to deal with. For example, in accordance with the Congressional Budget Office, spending on Social Security advantages increased 8%, Medicare spending increased 9%, defense spending increased 7%, and veterans health care spending increased 14%.
Rep. Ro Khanna of California said he would really like to see Musk testify before the House Armed Services Committee on the “bloated defense budget.”
“I would like to see Elon recommend some cuts. Let’s let him testify,” Khanna said.
He said he was open to proposals on non-defense spending but was skeptical.
“If they find rubbish, perhaps, but when it comes to big numbers, then no one will allow a cut in education funding for children with special needs and for low-income schools, or a cut in Social Security and health insurance,” Khanna said. “If they want to do that, they will give us a landslide in 2026.”
Originally published:
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