Rep. Jonathan Jackson, D-Ill., told Newsmax Wednesday he voted against funding the government because he does not believe Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has been transparent enough.
"I am pro-keeping the government open, but now we have to look at where are the cost savings," Jackson said on Newsmax's "National Report."
Jackson said Musk is not an elected official, but he has been superseding the authority of the legislative branch with his work at DOGE.
"We don't know all what they're cutting," Jackson said. "We would like to have an open discussion on this. This was not a very honest and transparent way to have a government funding bill."
Jackson also said he supports efficiency in government but DOGE should be mindful of the human cost of firing so many employees.
"I hope he's weighing the cost of the persons that are going to lose their housing, the people that are losing their jobs, how we're going to make sure that we're not creating a problem," Jackson said. "The cure has to correspond to the medicine that you're taking. The country was not in a crisis 90 days ago. He's creating a crisis."
The Illinois congressman said the firings and back and forth on tariffs have become too erratic.
"We're just simply saying, let the people in the Congress, let the people in the Senate do our jobs," Jackson said. "It's three branches of government. He needs to come before the Congress and just have a conversation with us. That is what we're asking for."
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Sam Barron ✉
Sam Barron has almost two decades of experience covering a wide range of topics including politics, crime and business.
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