Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., dismissed the newly launched Department of Government Efficiency, telling CNN on Thursday the initiative is "unconstitutional and illegal."
President-elect Donald Trump announced in November that Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy would spearhead the incoming administration's goal of weeding out government inefficiency and wasteful spending.
Lofgren's comments were made the same day Musk and Ramaswamy were to meet with House and Senate Republicans to discuss ways to trim the fat from the federal bureaucracy.
"You know, they haven't asked to meet with me, but the impoundment of funds that have been appropriated by the Congress is unconstitutional and illegal," Lofgren said, according to Mediaite. "There is no such Department of Government Efficiency. It's made up. So good luck to 'em."
Describing their DOGE initiative in a Wall Street Journal opinion article last month, Musk and Ramaswamy wrote: "DOGE will work with legal experts embedded in government agencies, aided by advanced technology, to apply these rulings to federal regulations enacted by such agencies."
Lofgren, who represents California's 18th Congressional District, said the creation of such an agency would need to make it through Congress before it can carry out an agenda.
"If there is a plan President Trump wants to propose to the Congress, he should send it to us, but the Constitution does not permit the president to simply avoid what the Congress has done — that power of the purse is with the legislative branch, not the president," she said.
But not all on the left are opposed to DOGE. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., has expressed support for some of their objectives and has publicly urged DOGE to look into waste in the Department of Defense, which has failed seven straight audits. Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., also has indicated he's willing to work with Musk and Ramaswamy to help identify waste.
"I'm ready to work with @doge, @elonmusk + @VivekGRamaswamy to slash waste. I have a track record of doing so. I led the charge to get TransDigm to refund $16 million after investigative reporting exposed price-gouging. Let's look to the Truman Committee and ensure Americans get their money's worth with DOD spending," Khanna posted Thursday on X.
James Morley III ✉
James Morley III is a writer with more than two decades of experience in entertainment, travel, technology, and science and nature.
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