Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.) on Tuesday defended his decision to become the first Democrat to join the Delivering Outstanding Government Efficiency (DOGE) caucus.
The group aims to be the equivalent of the Department of Government Efficiency (also known as DOGE), which will be established in President Trump's White House.
In an interview on CNN's “The Read,” Moskowitz explained his decision, saying “most of the Congressional caucuses are bipartisan” and that Democrats will be included in important conversations that include government restructuring and spending cuts. He pointed out that this is important.
“The days of staying safe are over,” Moskowitz said. “We should be able to go into the space and have a conversation.”
The group is led in the House by Reps. Aaron Bean (R-Fla.) and Pete Sessions (R-Texas) and in the Senate by Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa).
The formation of the caucus is a reminder that President-elect Trump's DOGE, led by billionaire Elon Musk and former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, cannot cut spending or cut government programs without Congress. .
“I came in with a special focus because I had been working on getting FEMA for years. [the Federal Emergency Management Agency] He has been removed from the Department of Homeland Security,” Moskowitz said, reiterating the priorities he outlined when he first announced his decision Tuesday.
“I think the Department of Homeland Security was a great idea. I think it's still needed, but I think it's gotten too big over the last 20 years,” he added.
Moskowitz said conversations are happening in the DOGE caucus and it is incumbent on Democrats to make sure they are included in the important conversations.
“I'm sure there are things that Elon and Vivec will come up with that I'm going to vehemently disagree with. And I'm going to vote loudly against them,” Moskowitz said. . . “But we have to go where the conversations are happening.”
“The idea of not going to these places and just pretending the conversation isn't happening is not the way we do business here,” he added.
CNN's Jake Tapper presses Moskowitz on the prospect of Musk potentially undermining government, including Musk's purchase of the X Platform and overhaul of his original brand, Twitter. He pointed out that anti-Semitism has been on the rise on Musk's X platform since.
Moskowitz has been a “leader” in pressuring Musk to address concerns about rising anti-Semitism, and since Musk took office he has spoken to Musk about his own anti-Semitic experiences at X. He said he had written to him personally many times.
“At the end of the day, I think everyone in Congress takes the position that the government is not perfect,” Moskowitz said. “I look for ways to improve government. I think the American people expect us to find ways to improve government, but the size of government may be shrinking in some places. There is also.”
“I want to have this whole conversation,” he added. “That's why I came to the caucus, to go there and meet my colleagues across the aisle. And Democrats shouldn't be afraid to have this conversation, because I think there are ways to improve government. That’s what I want to aim for.”
