Capitol Hill Tackles Trump's DOGE Push to Slash Gov't Waste, Musk Takes Aim at FEMA
The war on government waste took center stage on Capitol Hill on Tuesday with the first hearing focused on the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE. Although it began with talk of bipartisanship, the questioning fell along party lines.
Republican Chair Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) opened the hearing by calling wasteful spending an "American problem."
"Not only are we 36 trillion dollars in debt, but the compounding interest on this debt is also growing out of control," she said. "These interest payments don't serve a single American, they don't build a bridge, a road, provide disaster relief, or fund a single part of the behemoth that is the federal government."
WATCH the FULL Hearing HERE:
While the U.S. debt has exploded throughout the 21st Century, Taylor-Greene said the debt also grew during the Biden-Harris administration due to the expansion of Medicaid spending and pandemic funds being "rushed out the door" without proper oversight mechanisms in place.
A former FBI special agent testified at the hearing that many programs operate under a so-called honor system, where applicants get money without having to verify their identity, making it difficult to prevent fraud.
He suggested repealing Medicaid rules that prohibit states from checking eligibility status more than once a year.
Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D-NM) said each Democrat member is ready to roll up their sleeves on this issue. And she accused Republicans of trying to "scoop up savings" by dismantling certain agencies, which, she argues, gives a tax break to billionaires.
Stansbury then challenged Trump's DOGE leader Elon Musk to pay the House a visit. Musk has been tweeting regularly about government waste and answered reporter questions Tuesday night while visiting with President Trump in the Oval Office.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 12, 2025
This week he also contended that FEMA is spending tens of millions of disaster relief dollars to house people who are in the U.S. illegally.
"The @DOGE team just discovered that FEMA sent $59M LAST WEEK to luxury hotels in New York City to house illegal migrants. Sending this money violated the law and is in gross insubordination to the President's executive order," Musk posted. "That money is meant for American disaster relief and instead is being spent on high end hotels for illegals! A clawback demand will be made today to recoup those funds."
The @DOGE team just discovered that FEMA sent $59M LAST WEEK to luxury hotels in New York City to house illegal migrants.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 10, 2025
Sending this money violated the law and is in gross insubordination to the President’s executive order.
That money is meant for American disaster relief…
Meanwhile, Stansbury wants to hold Musk accountable for his efforts. "We are not here to play. If you have a serious desire to engage in democracy and transparency, we welcome you to the oversight committee. Come and testify in front of the American people under oath because we want to know what you're up to."
This is the first of many DOGE hearings to come. Both sides of the aisle mentioned this was a bipartisan effort with a focus on bringing full transparency to waste, fraud, and abuse.
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