Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) suggested Monday that Democrats could work with tech billionaire Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to cut the defense budget.
The issue came up during Khanna's interview with CNN anchor Jim Acosta, where he mentioned the DOGE panel.
President-elect Trump has named Musk and former Republican presidential primary candidate Vivek Ramaswamy to lead government efficiency efforts.
He then asked Khanna whether the two men should have that much influence over “what stays in the federal government and what goes away.”
“Ultimately, they will come up with recommendations,” Khanna told CNN Newsroom.
He also said both sides could provide input and there could be bipartisan cooperation on defense.
He criticized “waste, fraud and abuse” in the defense budget, saying the Pentagon “has failed the last six or seven audits.”
Kanna too posted a clip of him That day, CNN appeared on social platform X starting Monday morning.
“When it comes to reducing waste, fraud, and abuse and opening up the five primes to more competition, we have the Democrats.” [House Armed Services Committee] Who will work with @elonmusk and @DOGE,” Khanna said in the post.
“Like!” Musk I responded to Kanna's post With X.
Earlier this month, Trump said Musk and Ramaswamy would head DOGE, which aims to “cut excessive regulation and cut wasteful spending” and reorganize federal agencies.
DOGE will “provide advice and guidance from outside the government” and work with the White House Office of Management and Budget, the president-elect said.
“This could potentially become a modern-day 'Manhattan Project,'” Trump added. “Republican politicians have long dreamed of DOGE goals.”
Hill has contacted the Department of Defense for comment.
