Conservative commentator George Will has expressed doubts about the potential impact of the “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE), saying his column has the same powers as the advisory board led by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy. He claimed that there was.
“They are advisory committees with no formal authority. In my column, I regularly advocate for cutting certain items from the budget. There is as much power as deaf power,” Will, a longtime conservative columnist for the Washington Post, said Thursday during an appearance on NewsNation’s “The Hill.”
“Congress controls the purse strings,” added Will, who is also NewsNation's senior political contributor.
Musk and Ramaswamy met with Republican lawmakers at the Capitol on Thursday. Some meeting attendees expressed doubts that the newly formed board would be able to meet its goal of $2 trillion in spending cuts.
“Probably half of the people there were really excited and the other half knew the reality,” Rep. Max Miller (R-Ohio) said of the attendees.
“They're going to offer a lot of solutions that are very easy to swallow, but look at the margins. They're not going to have the horsepower,” said one Republican lawmaker, speaking candidly on condition of anonymity. , citing the filibuster in the Senate and the narrow Republican majority in the House.
Some stressed that Congress needed to act on the proposals or it would be a “waste of time”.
“All the keys are in that room. If Congress doesn't have the courage to do what they're really talking about, it's just a waste of time,” said Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.). he said on Thursday.
Ramaswamy and Musk also met with incoming Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-La.) and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) on Thursday.
Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) will lead the Senate DOGE caucus, and on the House side, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) will similarly focus on government efficiency. He will serve as chairman of the subcommittee.
Some progressives, including Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-Vermont) and Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), have expressed interest in working with DOGE leaders, especially on cutting defense spending. There is.
Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.) said he will join the Congressional Caucus to Deliver Outstanding Government Efficiency. Ohio Rep. Greg Landsman (D) said Tuesday he was interested in participating and would do so if asked.
Other House Democrats are not fans of the board.
“As you know, they haven't asked to meet with me, but their seizure of funds appropriated by Congress is unconstitutional and illegal,” said Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.).
NewsNation is owned by Nexstar Media Group, which also owns The Hill.
