Aaron Bean (00:00):
… 77 million of them to be exact voted for change. They recognize we're on an unsustainable path. Our government is too expensive and we're in danger. Do y'all know this? We're in danger. Not only do we have $36 trillion in debt, we add a trillion dollars in debt every 100 days. And let me tell you what that means. That means all of the promises that we have made as government to our veterans, we'll always take care of you, to our seniors, we'll always be there with social security, to our seniors again with Medicare, those promises are… And not to mention just being the shining city on the hill as America always has been. America is the go-to place for freedom. We look to be the shining example of freedom in the world. All that, all that is in danger because we are overspending and we are spending ourselves into oblivion, so when the American people said, make a change, let's join with Donald Trump, who said, by the way, I'm bringing Elon with me and we will make change to government.
(01:09)
Well, guess what? Congress wasn't going to sit by and let them do all the work. Congress, because we know the President signs executive orders, but they're not permanent. And so a group of legislators decided, let's get together. Let's create a caucus, the DOGE caucus. Let's make it both Republicans and Democrats that can come together, maybe not agree on everything, but agree that we are spending too much, that it's an unaffordable track that we're on. Let's make some changes to come together. Today, how about that? We got a little taste of DOGE Day, a little taste of DOGE Day where we've got a handful of our members that are going to be dropping bills, a DOGE bill either today or this week. And you're going to hear about it first, so I am grateful to come out. We got some heavy hitters standing behind me. And before I get to them, before I go to the great state of New York next, I want to tell you about three Bean bills that have a DOGE flavor to them that you need to know about. One is the CUTS Act. The CUTS Act is back.
(02:19)
And what the CUTS Act stands for is Cutting Unobligated Tumultuous Spending. Is this from last year? Yes, it is. Where we had over 92 co-sponsors, which we went out, our team went out and found, are you ready for this? COVID money. COVID money that agencies and states are still hoarding. Are you kidding me? COVID is over, COVID over, but these agencies still hoard this money. That money, and we think it's over $80 billion that's still out there, we want to take that money and either use it for current expenses or just to pay down the debt. Number two, I'm proud to introduce and co-sponsor… People are excited about DOGE. Happy DOGE Day to you too, my friend. Let me tell you, I'm excited to sponsor along with my good friend Joni Ernst, Drain the Swamp Act. Drain The Swamp ACT says this, each agency needs to relocate 30% of the workforce outside of the district.
(03:24)
Let's put them in the heartland. That's where people are in need of services, so let's relocate that. And then today, ladies and gentlemen, well for the first time before the press, we've launched the Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is Act. I'm excited to announce that I am willing to put my money where my mouth is. The American people are making reductions right now at their dinner table. They're talking about, "Honey, what can we cut back on? What we can do? How are we going to afford Biden's eggs?" We're going to make some reductions. The put your money where your mouth is, says to every congressional office, let's reduce. Let's reduce the amount that we're spending in your office by a $100,000 over the course of a year. Let's just trim and tighten our belt a little bit. And that's the money that can be used to pay for expenses rather than put anything else on our credit card.
(04:20)
That's what we don't want. We got a CR coming due in what, two to three weeks? And the last thing anybody wants to see, including the American taxpayer, we don't want to see just Congress punting and just putting it on our credit card. We want real reductions. And so with that, ladies and gentlemen, I'm going to go to… We got some really big hitters up here from Congress that's going to talk about their DOGE twists and their involvement with DOGE. And so first, let's go to the great state of New York where Representative Malliotakis is up next. Representative.
Speaker 1 (04:58):
Thank you very much. It's great to be with all of you. I want to thank you for coming out to cover this effort because as you could see, we have Republicans that are across the political spectrum here. And it's important because we all understand the crisis that our nation's facing. We have a $37 trillion debt. We have to find ways to reduce wasteful spending and cut fraud, waste and abuse and our unnecessary overhead and cut the bloated bureaucracy of our government, make it more efficient. And one of the things that we've done as a conference is say, "Look, come up with your ideas. Tell us where you would cut, where you think there's savings." And obviously there's a lot of different areas we can talk about. But one that's particularly near and dear to my heart is the issue of inhumane, unnecessary cruel animal testing that's taking place in this country and abroad.
(05:51)
And I don't know if people are aware, and I think the American people are unaware that our government spends upwards of $20 billion annually to conduct inhumane and unnecessary experiments on cats, dogs, monkeys, bunnies, all sorts of animals. And that we have anywhere from hundreds of thousands to perhaps even over a million animals that are in captivity for these purposes. And the bottom line here is it's unnecessary with the way science has evolved and the technology that we have today. But Washington bureaucrats, they love throwing money at outdated, inefficient systems. And animal testing is one of the worst offenders. Millions of tax dollars were not just spent here in the United States-
Aaron Bean (06:40):
Happy DOGE Day.
Speaker 1 (06:41):
… but they were spent on horrific experiments in communist China and in Russia. The FDA acknowledges that at least 90% of drugs tested on animals fail in humans. And that some studies estimate the numbers even higher up to 95%. What my legislation would do, which I have not introduced yet, so this is an exclusive for you guys, it's called the SPARE Act, Safeguard Pets Animals and Research Ethics Act. What my legislation would do would ban federal funding of unnecessary, costly and cruel testing on animals here in the United States and in foreign countries. The SPARE Act phases out wasteful animal testing and replaces it with modern, more effective research methods. AI-driven models predict drug reactions more accurately than lab rats.
(07:33)
Organ-on-a-chip technology stimulates real human biology. There's no need for these painful, costly animal tests. And human cell-based models provide better medical insights than flawed animal data. And so it also has a transparency, accountability, and enforcement measures to them as well, including annual audits and tough penalties and funding cuts for violators. This bill, I hope is something that Republicans and Democrats, people who love animals, people who love science, would support because it is based on science, it is based on innovation, it is based on being humane and also protects the taxpayer pockets. Thank you very much for letting me talk about my bill and I will pass it on to you.
Aaron Bean (08:20):
Back to Bean Nicole. Sign me up. Sign me up. It is disgusting what, I'll call him out by name, dr. Fauci did to beagles it's beyond words. Let's end it. Let's end that. Next up, how about that? We're going to the great state of Virginia, which will give you a hint of where we're going. But I want to brag on him because his work with the Republican Study Committee, he was very involved in the last couple of years to come up with a budget that puts us on a path to being balanced over 10 years. And that is, it's genius economically, knowing that we not have to make reductions in spending, but we also have to grow our economy. Those two together can put us back on the prosperity train. With that, to the great state of Virginia, we go where Representative Ben Cline is up next. Go get them Big Ben.
Ben (09:08):
All right, thank you.
Aaron Bean (09:09):
You got it my friend.
Ben (09:10):
Thank you, Mr. Chairman, I want to thank you for all the work that you're doing as chair of the DOGE caucus, working alongside colleagues from as was said, across the ideological spectrum to make sure that we save taxpayers money, that we make government work for the people and not the other way around. And to that end, we're working to make sure that your tax dollars are spent wisely. For too long, Washington has treated taxpayer dollars like Monopoly money spending without accountability, racking up over $35 trillion in debt, fueling waste, fraud, and abuse at the expense of hardworking Americans. It's time to restore sanity to our budget and put a stop to reckless government handouts and get our nation's spending back on track. We need to start by recognizing every single dollar spent by the federal government is a dollar taken from the American people. This isn't Washington's money, it's not the Bureaucracy's money, it's your money, the taxpayers' money. It should be spent wisely.
(10:07)
That's why I've reintroduced the No Welfare for the Wealthy Act. It's a common sense bill that will close a loophole that allows millionaires to qualify for food stamps. It makes no sense that because of broad-based categorical eligibility, better known as BBCE, states are ignoring federal income and asset limits when they hand out benefits. They're handing out benefits to individuals who own vacation homes, boats, RVs, all on the taxpayer's dime. This is exactly the kind of waste that DOGE was created to target and exactly what this caucus is all about fighting. This is not about denying help to those who need it. It's about stopping the abuse of hard-earned taxpayer dollars and restoring integrity to a system that has been failing the American people for far too long. Under BCCE, more than five million able-bodied individuals who shouldn't qualify for food stamps are receiving them, and yes, including millionaires.
(11:08)
Meanwhile, American families who actually need help are left struggling under a system that prioritizes bureaucratic expansion over accountability. The No Welfare for the Wealthy Act puts an end to this nonsense by ensuring states can no longer bypass federal limits and abuse this broken system. And let's talk about the price tag. Taxpayers are footing a nearly $100 billion bill every year to fund food stamps. Fixing this loophole will save more than $11 billion annually. That's real money and should be going to those who actually need assistance, not those who are gaming the system. We have a President in the White House who's willing to stand up to waste, fraud and abuse in government and demand accountability. And with President Trump's leadership, DOGE and a Republican majority in Congress, I'm optimistic will restore fiscal responsibility, government accountability, and protect taxpayer dollars. I call on
Ben (12:00):
Congress, let's do our job. Let's put an end to this waste and restore integrity to government programs and ensure that every tax dollar is spent with the same care and responsibility that American families use when managing their own budgets. The American people deserve no less. I want to thank the chairman and I yield back.
Aaron Bean (12:18):
Well done Ben. No, that's it. Sign me up for that too. See, I told you, DOGE brings people together. Who could be against millionaires getting food stamps? And when a millionaire takes a food stamp, it takes it away from somebody that really needs help and that's what we want to focus on. I want to bring greetings on behalf of the two other co-chairs of the DOGE caucus. One is Representative Blake Moore from Utah and also representative Pete Sessions from Texas. They may show up. I know our schedule is always in flux. So if they show up, we'll give them a big DOGE welcome, but if not, the show will go on.
(12:52)
Let me tell you, the Triangle, it's a big deal to have you here. The next gentleman from South Carolina who I'm giving a heads-up to is no stranger to the Triangle. He lives out here almost because he is constantly calling out government waste, fraud and abuse, and there's always a better way to do it. So no stranger and he's got ideas of where we need to go. Would you please welcome from the great state of South Carolina, Mr. Ralph Norman. Go get them Ralph.
Ralph Norman (13:21):
Thank you. Thank you, Aaron. I want to thank you for forming the DOGE caucus with Sessions and others. This is a special day and I want to thank all of my comrades who are up here. They truly want to make a difference for the American people. And never before have we seen what is happening in this country. To have a man like Elon Musk who is able, has got the brain power along with President Trump to find out where our tax dollars are going. That's what he's finding out. He's tracking them. Never before have we known that. Now, in your family business, in your family itself, you want to know where the money goes and exactly where it's going. Elon Musk is able to do that. And he's getting a lot of criticism now because he's a billionaire, and I asked one of my Democrat colleagues last night on Rules, I said, "How did he make his money? Was it on the government paycheck? No. Was it producing a product? Yes. Was it taking risk? Yes. Was it sleeping on the floor of his factories? Yes. He risked it all."
(14:37)
He's an example of the American spirit. Entrepreneurship, capitalism. That's what made this country great, not government. And the fact that he issued a tweet for any federal employee to name five things to justify their job. I had a reporter yesterday that came up up to me, he may have done it to y'all, and said, "Congressman, I've got a question for you." I said, "Sure." "What five things did you do last week?" I said, "That is a great question. I met with constituents, made talks to two groups, went to my office to answer phone calls." I said, "You want 20? I can name that. You ought to ask me that. What did we do?"
(15:21)
Anybody that objects to that, anybody that objects to a man who has taken zero … he's taken zero to find out what's going on in this country. He's not for cutting anything. What he's for is finding the waste, fraud and abuse. There are good things in a lot of programs, but as the first program that he looked at, USAID … what's the amount of fraudulent claims that he find? $154 billion worth. He did that. And folks, he's going to go down through the list. They can criticize and shout all of they want about him, but the man is doing … it's providential what he's doing for this country. That's never happened. People ask us, "Well, Norman, why hadn't you done it?" You couldn't get into the books. They had it so you couldn't find out where our money went. The big disconnect we have with our Democrat friends, it's not their money, it's our money. It's the people's money. And that's what's so exciting about what's happening today.
(16:26)
I'm grateful for the work that Aaron Bean and other members have done. Far too long government has operated inefficiently leading to poor lawmaking and with heavy costs to the American taxpayer. I'm getting ready to tell you about two bills, and again, none of this would really have the effect unless we could track it and verify. As Ronald Reagan said, "Trust but verify." That's what Elon Musk is doing and that's what my two bills will do along with these others. One is our H.R.1388, The Fair Value Accounting and Budget Act. Between student loans and home ownership the federal government provides a lot of different loans and guarantees is providing the mechanism to look into that to see exactly where it goes and what it does.
(17:15)
The call stack is the second bill, 1387. It promotes transparency by providing projects using federal funds to clearly and publicly disclose where the money ends up. And it's just like the fair value in accounting, it's where the money goes. So it's two bills, two different bills, but it is being enabled by what the Trump administration is doing with Elon Musk. I just want to thank everybody that's taken taking a role in this. Folks, my friends on the left are fighting to prevent this from happening. It's not going to happen. We just have begun to fight. We're going to win this fight for the American people. And if there's one way we can balance a budget is get the fraud and abuse out of all the agencies and guess who's going to be the judge? We the people. Each one of you're going to be able to look at it and say, "This makes sense. This does not." So I'm happy to work with my colleagues and Aaron, I yield back.
Aaron Bean (18:15):
Thank you so much. Thank you. I'm going to say goodbye to Nicole. She's going to slip out. And Nicole, thank you so much for doing that. If you want to get things done, ask a small town mayor. How about that? Let me put this right here.
Speaker 3 (18:27):
This jackass [inaudible 00:18:28]
Aaron Bean (18:28):
Here we go. Right there. Boom. Hey, you can tell a lot of people are excited about DOGE caucus. You want to get things done? Ask a small town mayor. Our next speaker was mayor of her town. But also I'm more impressed with her having one of the largest job fairs in the Lone Star state. That's right. She puts people to work in the state of Texas. Somebody may get a free trip downtown. How about that? Maybe several of them.
Speaker 3 (19:01):
He didn't do anything until you jumped on him.
Speaker 2 (19:05):
[inaudible 00:19:08] Cut the Pentagon budget.
Ralph Norman (19:12):
Go ahead. Go ahead.
Aaron Bean (19:13):
So here we go. I told you small town, she's a dynamo. She currently chairs the budget committee of the Republican Study Committee and is doing an awesome job. My friend from the great state of Texas, please welcome Representative Beth Van Duyne.
Beth Van Duyne (19:30):
Thank you. Small town? I was city council for six years, and I was mayor for six years for a city called Irving, Texas.
Aaron Bean (19:40):
Small.
Beth Van Duyne (19:40):
Happens to be the 92nd largest city in the country. 250,000 people. But it did feel like a small town because you get to know the people, you get to know the businesses, you get to know the small business owners, you get to know the teachers. It's a phenomenal experience before you come to council, but it also teaches you the importance of staying within a budget. I think I'm one of only a handful of people in Congress who've actually passed 12 balanced budgets, and it wasn't because we didn't have people who wanted to spend more money. It wasn't because they didn't have staff who could tell me more projects that we had to spend on. It was actually the law. I think we shouldn't do that here.
(20:18)
We've got to find ways of being able to get our government spending under control. And I want to say, citing his success in working to cut hundreds of thousands of jobs from the federal government, then President Bill Clinton famously stated, we have worked to give the American people a smaller, less bureaucratic government in Washington, and we have to give the American people one that lives within its means. The era of big government is over. Man, how many years have gone by between that statement and where we are now? And what we've seen is more government and more bloat.
(20:53)
Just a few years later, another Democrat president noted, we cannot sustain a system that bleeds billions of taxpayer dollars on programs that have outlived their usefulness or exist solely because of the power of a politician, lobbyist or interest group. We simply cannot afford it. And I agree with then President Obama, that to protect the American taxpayer, our ability to grow as a nation and for our families to be able to provide and afford the lives that they want to live free from government intrusion, that we must once again rid ourselves of unnecessary special interests and bloated programs that no longer serve our nation.
(21:33)
And the American people overwhelmingly agree. Just yesterday, polling numbers were released showing over 70% of Americans agree with the work of the Department of Government Efficiency. And by extension, the DOGE caucus, to make significant cuts and the size, scope and power of the federal government. Every day, new programs of insane spending are being exposed. The waste, corruption and outright money laundering that has occurred is so grotesque and very likely criminal in some instances that is our moral obligation to wipe these programs from the books.
(22:10)
We talk about a golden age, because we are living in a moment where the resolve of the executive branch matches the will of the American people in such a way of massive reform can and must be brought about to save the future of generations to come. This is our moment to achieve cathartic reforms, but we need to also put in place controls, so that when this moment passes, that there are protections to prevent this kind of debt and calamity from ever occurring again.
(22:41)
And that's why I have reintroduced the Government Offices Realignment Enclosure Act, GORAC, to establish a process to cut wasteful spending, slash the bureaucracy and ensure our national debt never again reaches heights to threaten the stability of our country. This bill will require a third party audit to expose redundant and inefficient, wasteful, or outdated functions within federal executive agencies. Every 10 years, the auditor's findings will be reported to Congress and as outlined in the bill, recommendations will be considered under fast tracking procedures on the floor, thereby establishing a process for Congress to directly confront government bloat, corruption and cowardice.
(23:26)
Similarly, I've also introduced the Reducing Expensive Departments and Unnecessary Civil Employees Act. REDUCE, for short. That codifies President Trump's executive action to shrink the bloated bureaucracy. The REDUCE Act will force agencies to eliminate duplicative positions and reform hiring practices to rein in the administrative state. With exceptions for immigration, law enforcement and public safety, the REDUCE Act requires agencies to remove duplicative positions and hire no more than one employee for every four employees
Beth Van Duyne (24:00):
… who deport the federal workforce. These programs and other efforts that have been mentioned here today are outright necessities to ensure the federal government stops stealing the vitality, the innovation, and the economic strength of our nation. Just like then Presidents Clinton and Obama recognized that the federal government has become too large and too bloated for our nation to bear. We have this incredible moment to make significant and long-lasting changes. The American people are with us on this. They have entrusted us with this critical task. It is our responsibility to deliver in the most important endeavor. And if not now, then when. And thank you very much, Aaron for [inaudible 00:24:49]-
Aaron Bean (24:48):
Beth Van Duyne. I told you she was good. Ladies and gentlemen, this is the DOGE Legislative Caucus, and in just a moment we're going to take your questions as we go forward but first I told you there's a chance he might come, he is here, and it's my pleasure to introduce one of the partners of leadership, the co-chair of the DOGE caucus, who has been a great partner, who has been here a long time. The experience, the brain power of how his mind works of, "Did you consider this? Did you consider that?" Has been put to use today as we are bringing people together to file bills on DOGE day that does shrink the federal government, that makes government more efficient. Ladies and gentlemen, the co-chair of the legislative DOGE caucus from the great state of Texas, Representative Pete Sessions.
Pete Sessions (25:37):
Thank you very much.
Aaron Bean (25:38):
All right, Chairman. Go get them.
Pete Sessions (25:40):
Well, where are my mom and dad when I need them to be watching this?
Aaron Bean (25:44):
They're with you.
Pete Sessions (25:45):
Co-Chairman, thank you very much. What great opportunity is to join you. I apologize for being a minute late. We were in government reform having way too much fun. Today, what I'd like to do is to highlight a bill which I have dropped with Senator Joni Ernst, who is the Senate-side leader of making sure that we correspond not just on a bipartisan basis, but also on a basis between the House and the Senate. That we talk about the ideas, float them together, and then come up with answers.
(26:17)
Today, I announced that I'm introducing the Red Tape Act, and essentially what the Red Tape Act does is to make sure that as rules are written within the administration, too many times there are non-monetary issues which show up in the costs of the bill and therefore reasons of bringing in political or perhaps social reasons of costs rather than economic cost. The economic costs are the ones that we would measure is the true cost of the bill. Not those outside factors that will be brought in that too many times government talks about in order to process what they would like.
(27:06)
This DOGE Caucus has the opportunity not only to encourage each member to be a part of what we're doing, but I think that what we've done is challenged also the American people to see that moving forward government efficiency is that driving part that will give them not only confidence back in their government, but would also help an effort to make sure we have government workers back at work.
(27:34)
So, very proud to say that after a month and two days of having President Trump on the job, that we feel invigorated not only to take on government inefficiencies, but we feel like that the partnership that we are forming with office management and budget through their DOGE operation is giving us insight and opportunity to continue that track. Chairman, I want to thank you very much for this opportunity. Look forward to a continued discussion not only with the American people and our colleagues, but perhaps more importantly to entertaining questions that those of you in the press may have.
Aaron Bean (28:14):
10, four. Stick around, Pete, I have a suspicion there may be a question or two out there. Before we get to your questions, I have to acknowledge the panel, the all-star panel that we put together, panelists and members of the caucus. I put very high expectations on you today to come to this press conference. We had so many people that wanted to speak, and so for you to come at this press conference, y'all exceeded expectations. So thank you so much for being a part out of it.
(28:41)
Now, I know that y'all want to talk about what Elon's doing. I know that's when we talk about we're focused on what Congress is doing and how we're making things permanent. We have dozens of other bills that are going to be dropping. We're hoping to have more DOGE days in addition to today. So with that, Javier, what's your thought or question, my friend? Thanks for coming out.
Javier (28:59):
Outside of Representative Jared Moskowitz, why are house Democrats so against DOGE Caucus and DOGE whole?
Beth Van Duyne (29:05):
You have to ask them.
Aaron Bean (29:08):
Yeah. Well, in that, Beth Van Duyne's answer is you have to ask them. I think it's new. I think it's new. There's such a distrust of each other's parties that it is new. I have talked to, I know Chairman Sessions has to, dozens of Democrats that are on the fence. We've been working on creating a safe harbor where we can come together and debate. How about that? Is that wild? That we could debate hat's good? If I'm wrong I want somebody to convince me in debate that I'm wrong, so that safe harbor that we're not out to embarrass them. And I know that we would never agree on everything, but there are some low-hanging apples that we could agree that need to be picked or restructured to make government stronger, more efficient, and sustainable because we are not sustainable. Yes, ma'am.
Speaker 4 (29:55):
You talk about this DOGE caucus is about what Congress can do. We've seen in the last week, especially a number of your Republican colleagues facing pushback for how DOGE is being handled, pressing lawmakers to do more. Do you have any criticisms for how DOGE has conducted itself so far with Congress not being involved? And what steps are you going to take to have a more seat at the table?
Aaron Bean (30:17):
I'm going to answer it, then I'm going to throw it to open mic to anybody else. Something tells me Ralph Norman's ready to jump in right here. So let me tell you the uncomfortability of some members of Congress and the American people. First of all, 77 million voted for change. Voted for change. But I think the uncomfort factor, not everybody, but it's just the speed of which President Trump and Elon Musk are going. They've got the pedal to the metal. Somebody described him as President Trump is doing a no huddle offense. He goes to the line of scrimmage, runs a play, and then runs another play and keeps it going.
(30:53)
So a lot of members of Congress haven't seen this speed of which government. But I can tell you, it has to be done. It has to be done. We have to downsize our federal government. We have to examine everything of how we spend, because folks, it's unsustainable. And I know you hear that all the time, but it truly is in the briefings we've had, we've got just a few more years if we don't make any change and then bad things happen. So let's, let's right size government, let's finally get things under control where we can go. Ralph Norman, do you have a thought or anybody else wants to jump in on that? Beth Van Dyne. You do too. Everybody.
Ralph Norman (31:29):
I will just say Congress is involved. President Trump is the one that authorized this. President Trump is the one that, he hasn't even been in office for 100 days yet. He has issued over 70 executive orders. What he's doing is authorizing Elon Musk to go in and just find where the checks are. Now, has Elon passed any laws? No. He's not a politician. He's uncovering it. And let the American people decide. Donald Trump has the highest approval rating because of the DOGE commission. People finally are taking their country back and every agency that gets your tax money, why wouldn't you want to know where it is? Why are Democrats mad and attacking Elon Musk? Like Aaron said, ask them. But I guess they don't want to see what's been found.
(32:21)
But look what in Medicaid GAO has found. $254 billion. GAO. You know what Elon will do as he goes, agency for agency, he is just saying, "Here it is, american people." You look at it, you decide if this is what you want to do. On USAID we got a dose of things that I don't think the American people agree with.
Aaron Bean (32:45):
Amen.
Javier (32:45):
[inaudible 00:32:46] Musk is doing more than just showing things. He's making hiring and firing decisions. Are you comfortable with that?
Ralph Norman (32:52):
Yeah. Let me just say this. He's saying, like on the recommendation to name five things you've done, has he sent marshals out to bang that out of people? No. He's suggested that. It can go a lot further than this, but he's opening the door. Beth?
Beth Van Duyne (33:08):
Yeah. I am having a hard time understanding why people are upset that Elon Musk is not elected. All the bureaucrats in government are unelected. They're the ones who are writing the regulations. Elon Musk is merely an advisor to the President. He has given some advice to the President saying, "These are the things that we are finding that we are uncovering at breakneck speed." That's it. And presidents throughout history have had advisors. I don't think that that's a problem. I think what the problem is that the American people and then federal workers have gotten so complacent with the government not doing anything. The fact that you actually have somebody who ran for election saying, "This is what we're going to do." Getting an office and actually doing it is such a shock to many.
Aaron Bean (33:57):
That's right.
Beth Van Duyne (33:58):
And we've got federal employees who are being asked to say, what did you do last week? I'll tell you, Norm, I'm sure all of us had this. If anybody asked me what I did last week, I have since I got elected, I have been handing out, I have been passing out, emailing a newsletter, go to my website. You can find out exactly what I do on a day-to-day basis. It is not beneath me to do that. I'm accountable. I'm accountable to my constituents. I'm accountable to American people because we are getting taxpayer dollars to do this role. We have a job to do and we should not be ashamed of telling people what we are doing. It should not be a shock to the system.
(34:35)
But to think that we've got advisors to the President … And make no mistake this was President Trump's initiative. This is what he promised that he was going to do all during his campaign, all during the election, and now he is actually, he made the promise and he's actually doing what he said he was going to do. And to think that this was a split second, "Oh, they're doing it so fast." I would keep in mind, this is a president who has already served four years in office, had four years to look at what all the various abuses were in our federal bureaucracy and to define. He then had another four years to put together an experienced team that was ready to execute on those promises, and that is exactly what you're seeing.
Javier (35:21):
But should Congress not be playing more of a role when it comes to agencies and which stay open, which receive funding?
Beth Van Duyne (35:27):
I think what you're seeing right now is you just saw a multitude of bills that Congress is actually initiating. Because unlike the last administration under Biden where you saw hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of executive orders that came through not working with Congress, you are seeing a president who is very much in touch with us, who has a communication staff who every day is sending us emails, letting us know what they're doing, and is asking us to partner. You've got a president who is a Republican who's got the
Beth Van Duyne (36:00):
… the House and the Senate and he's working with us.
Aaron Bean (36:02):
Let's go to the lady in green right here.
Speaker 5 (36:03):
Some of the more specific criticisms of DOGE has been the firing and then rehiring of several hundred workers, particularly nuclear experts, bird flu experts. In addition, there was a tweet sent out that had potentially sensitive tax information that shouldn't have been sent out. What are the guardrails, checks, balances that Congress plans to put on to ensure that doesn't happen again?
Ralph Norman (36:24):
Well, look, this is a work in progress. He's just identifying it now. Again, it's less than a hundred days he's been in office. The people that you're saying that were fired, why are they not pleading their case? They ought to be pleading their case and actually making the argument of why they deserve the average of $106,000 per employee, which is what the average is for the 3 million employees ought to be making the case for that. Now, as far as is sensitive information being divulged, from what my understanding is, the total dollars, where it went, what agency got it and is going to be on full display. And I'm kind of like Beth, my website, what I'm doing now is once it gets fleshed out, each agency, I'm going to list the dollar amount and let the American people see if they agree with it.
(37:18)
Now they've got every legal right at the end of the day, if information that they deem not important, then they've got legal remedies. It's up to them. But I've heard yet one official that's headed an agency come out and say, "I'm not quitting. I'm going to plead my case." That's their right as an American citizen. But to get the check, you got to remember the check is coming from our tax coffers. It's not their money. And that's the biggest disconnect that I can tell you.
Speaker 5 (37:49):
So are you saying that it should be up to the employees to work harder to keep their jobs as opposed to the government ensuring that nuclear experts and bird flu experts aren't fired?
Ralph Norman (37:57):
The employee's going to have to justify what they do and they're going to have to justify why they get a paycheck and define their duties. The redundancy, just like you do in a normal business setting, you replace redundancy when it's not needed. They work at the will of the American people's money. And so I could see some of the criticism if we had a flush budget, but we don't. We're in debt. Why is our debt being downgraded? It's for a reason. We can't continue this path. So what Elon Musk is doing is setting a new standard. And you know what? I think each state ought to do the same thing.
Aaron Bean (38:31):
Hey, we're going to white checkered shirt and then Newsmax next. White checkered shirt, what say you?
Speaker 6 (38:35):
Why no mention today, we didn't hear about national defense, we didn't hear about Medicare, we didn't hear about Medicaid, we didn't hear about Social Security. That makes up a huge chunk of the budget, right? Why no mention today and are those things open to checking for waste, fraud, abuse, and other cuts if you want to cut the cuts?
Ralph Norman (38:51):
Absolutely. I think Social Security is next. You had the USAID. Social Security, which I hear is going to be a tremendous amount revealed of paying dead people and other things. But each agency will undergo the same scrutiny. And why not? Again, there's no rational reason why they can say you shouldn't go into it. It's, again, not their money. Why we're not talking about national defense? We're voting on a budget today that'll open the process for the appropriators to do their job and to allocate the different money that the savings, the 1.5 trillion, 2 trillion in savings and then the tax cuts, that'll all be fleshed out.
(39:32)
But this was about the DOGE Commission and what's happening here. You'll have plenty of discussion over the next 30 days when we get into national defense, when we get into every agency that the appropriators are dealing with and the ways and means are.
Aaron Bean (39:47):
I just want to add, if you got here late, you were here early, but if you got here late, a whole purpose of DOGE is to honor the promises our country has made to veterans, to older Americans. No one… Let's be clear. Maybe this should be your headline. DOGE has no cuts at all to Social Security. That's not on the table. Are we looking at reforms and the delivery of those checks? Should dead people get checks? No. So that's something that will be examined, but there are no reductions in Social Security. But to the contrary, if we don't, 2034, that's the date right now from Social Security that if we don't make reforms, they're going to be running upside down and benefits will be reduced. We don't want to go there. Let's go to Newsmax though. Newsmax what say you?
Speaker 6 (40:34):
NewsNation.
Aaron Bean (40:35):
Of course. It's News Nation. Everybody knows it's NewsNation. Go right ahead.
Speaker 6 (40:38):
The question is, there has been some concern raised for veterans, particularly just being that veterans when it comes to federal layoffs make up a larger percentage, something like 30 to 40% of the federal workforce, much higher than in the private industry. Is anyone at all talking about this? Is anyone looking at potentially exemptions for veteran workers that are being laid off in large numbers?
Aaron Bean (40:59):
I can speak to… Here's what I know. I know veterans if you want something to get something done, hire a veteran. Veterans are used to climbing obstacles and getting things done. It's a shame. And I think anybody that loses their job, our heart aches for them. But particularly a veteran. But Glenn Youngkin, I watched him on news this morning. Virginia is hiring. There are other opportunities and if anybody can overcome obstacles of getting other jobs, it's our veterans. I don't know of any exemption given, it's just tough, but we have to know this. We cannot afford the workforce at the levels that Biden has put us in right now.
(41:36)
So that's why we're looking at that. I'll yield to anyone else that wants to jump in or a thought. Chairman Sessions.
Pete Sessions (41:46):
I think it's important for us.
Aaron Bean (41:47):
Come to the mic, my friend.
Pete Sessions (41:47):
Thank you. I think it's important for us to know that for a good number of years, GAO has, working with OMB, there's something called the high risk series. These are programs that have that parentally fall under excessive waste, fraud, and abuse. Social Security is in there, VA is in there. There are a number of government entities that need to do a better job. One of the biggest ones is a combination where we work with the states to get an unemployment list to find out who the states, because they primarily run that program. Many of the states do not provide accurate information. Information that comes from Social Security, the death file that is by and large been privy to what Social Security thought was only theirs and the VA lagged behind.
(42:43)
And other important agencies who give out these monies to various beneficiaries, all of these areas are going to be looked at. They're part of the high-risk series. GAO is a part of it, and certainly I, as Chairman of Government Operations for Government Reform, have held hearings for a long, long time. Last point, GAO last year said that on a moving forward basis, there is $1.7 trillion worth of waste, fraud, and abuse. And I asked them at the end of the hearing, after they talked about all the great things that they had done to help stop this waste, fraud, and abuse. I said, "What will it look like two years from now?" And every single person there said, "It will increase."
(43:39)
And that is one of the reasons why we wanted so much for government workers to come back because they have sensitive databases and large databases that they need to now be a part of as government employees to protect the assets and resources to make sure, as you've already heard, the people who should get the benefits are being robbed by those who get them by mistake or because it was fraud. These are the kinds of things that we will work on here in Congress. We will continue to work with the federal government and we will continue to make sure that we are looking at that number and reducing it.
Aaron Bean (44:25):
Thank you.
Speaker 6 (44:27):
[inaudible 00:44:27] digital service resigned over concerns about access to sensitive information, what guarantees can you give to the American people that their sensitive information won't be accessed by someone who's not elected or otherwise appointed?
Pete Sessions (44:39):
Well, let me say this. The IRS failed that test and has failed it for many, many, many years. We need to make sure that we give the tools and the correct tools in technology. And I talked to government technologists just two days ago within a Zoom call where we talked about their needs to make sure that they are brought in and that technology that is efficient and that works properly is a part of the future so that they did not get cut. It is a matter of still employees coming, having the integrity that's with them, and then the federal government deciding that they will live up to prosecuting people who give this information out. And that is where this government has lacked in the past.
Aaron Bean (45:31):
Very good. Speaking of honoring promises, I made a promise to our panel that they could leave at three o'clock, so let me thank them for being a part here. I want to thank the Capitol Press Corps for you being a part of it. How about the Capitol Police? They did their job today. We want to thank them. And we also want to thank, how about this, Code Pink for coming and supporting DOGE. I do want to fix their sign. We want to cut waste, fraud, and abuse at the Pentagon and we put that on the sign. And how about that DOGE and Code Pink. We make that change on the sign. We'll do it. So she's happy too. So happy DOGE Day. Hope to see you next month. And with that, we are adjourned. Have a great day, everybody. Let's go get them.
Group (46:09):
[Inaudible 00:46:10] Cut the pentagon. That's where the money is. Cut the pentagon. That's where the money is. Cut the Pentagon. That's where the money is. Cut the Pentagon. That's where the money is. Cut the Pentagon. That's where the money is. Cut the Pentagon. That's where the money is. Cut the Pentagon. That's where the money is. Cut the Pentagon. That's where the money is.