Former Republican Rep. Carlos Curbelo of Florida told MSNBC host Chris Jansing Thursday that Tesla CEO Elon Musk “put a spotlight” on government waste.
Musk, who stepped down as a White House senior advisor Wednesday, led the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) after Trump established it in a Jan. 20 executive order. Curbelo said that despite Musk’s lack of popularity, the Telsa CEO “made a difference.” (RELATED: Scott Jennings Appears Flabbergasted CNN Host Doesn’t Seem To Understand Key Concept About Major Gov’t Program)
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“So, congressman, next week the president is expected to send, what is it, more than $9 billion in DOGE cuts to Congress to try to make them permanent. Does he have a permanent impact? What do you think the long-term impact of DOGE will be?” Jansing asked.
“Look, I think that he did make a difference,” Curbelo responded. “Obviously, he put a spotlight on government efficiency and on ways that, you know, the federal government could be improved. The way he did it was unpopular and controversial.”
DOGE identified $175 billion in savings since Trump established it, an average of $1,086.96 per taxpayer, according to the organization’s website. The department lists the savings it has identified on its website, breaking it down into contracts, leases and grants. It also breaks down spending, while providing information on the federal workforce and government regulations.
The White House plans to send Congress a recissions package of over $9.5 billion Monday, codifying some of the cuts identified by DOGE.
Following work by DOGE, federal employees were laid off from several agencies, including a 50% reduction in the workforce of the Department of Education and the cuts terminated about 95% of the United States Agency for International Development’s (USAID) workforce.
Musk was also presented a chainsaw by Argentinian President Javier Milel at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in February, angering many Democrats and media personalities in the process.
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