Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.) announced Tuesday that he will become the first Democrat to join the Delivering Outstanding Government Efficiency (DOGE) caucus, dealing a bipartisan blow to the caucus.
Moskowitz said in a statement that he is joining the Congressional Caucus because “streamlining government processes and reducing inefficient government spending should not be a partisan issue.”
The caucus, founded by Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Rep. Aaron Bean (R-Fla.), and Rep. Pete Sessions (R-Fla.), is a government-efficiency group founded by President Trump. Support the efforts of the Department of Energy (DOGE). An external group run by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy.
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) also created a Subcommittee on Government Efficiency (DOGE), to be directed by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.). , tasked with working with Musk and Ramaswamy.
Moskowitz said the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is particularly in need of reform.
“as needed, [DHS] “The organization has grown too big,” he said, noting the department's bureaucracy, but specifically calling for “the need to make the Secret Service and FEMA independent federal agencies reporting directly to the White House.”
“It is not practical to have 22 institutions under this one department,” he argues.
Located between the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean, Florida is frequently affected by hurricanes, making FEMA the primary government agency assisting with disaster recovery.
Other Democrats have also offered targeted support for DOGE. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) and Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) both cited defense spending as an area where DOGE could sharpen its vision.
“Elon Musk is right,” Sanders tweeted. “The Department of Defense, with an $886 billion budget, has failed seven consecutive audits, leaving billions unaccounted for. Last year, we voted against the military-industrial complex and a defense budget full of waste and fraud. Only 13 senators voted. That has to change.”
Khanna also pointed to audit failures and waste, fraud and abuse at the Department of Defense.
“We need more open competition, not a monopoly of defense contractors,” he said.
Although the DOGE department itself is a non-governmental agency, its recommendations are likely to be important contributions to efforts within the administration and on Capitol Hill to highlight areas to reduce government spending and promote reform.
Bradley Jay is Breitbart News' Capitol Hill correspondent. Follow him on X/Twitter. @BradleyAJay.
