Lawmakers on Wednesday debated initial cost-cutting measures put in place by Elon Musk and President Donald Trump to slash waste from government agencies.
Democrats argued the cuts are driven more by an ideological assault on federal agencies long hated by conservatives than a good-faith effort to save taxpayer dollars and pushed back on reforms.
Since Trump's inauguration on January 20, Musk has dispatched members of his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to scrutinize sensitive personnel and payment information in government computer systems and led a successful drive to dismantle two agencies - one that provides a lifeline to the world's needy and another that protects Americans from unscrupulous lenders.
'They are going to get what they voted for': Elon Musk says basic controls needed at US Treasury
Trump and Musk have pledged to find $1 trillion in savings through efforts to identify fraud and waste in the government.
Of the 15 agencies Musk's team have targeted so far, nine were singled out for elimination or downsizing in Project 2025, a controversial 900-page blueprint compiled by conservative think-tanks to remake the U.S. government. The document claims many federal government agencies have been taken over by a left-wing elite who use taxpayer dollars to push a liberal agenda that is "weaponized against conservative values".
Trump says Musk will help uncover 'hundreds of billions' in US gov't fraud
(Production: Kia Johnson)