Republican lawmakers are carefully voicing concerns about the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) as they face criticism from their constituents about how the team’s mission is being handled.
DOGE was established as an advisory board to help President Donald Trump cut down on waste, fraud, and corruption in the federal government. The initiative claims it has already saved the government billions of dollars by eliminating spending on DEI and other programs. The DOGE team has also cut foreign aid and slashed a considerable number of jobs.
Still, some have expressed reservations related to how Elon Musk, who heads DOGE, is conducting business in the executive branch.
These cuts have affected Americans who reside in several GOP lawmakers’ districts, according to Axios.
Why it matters: The job and funding cuts are now hitting GOP lawmakers' districts and states. There's also a larger conflict brewing over whether the administration can simply bypass Congress on these decisions.
DOGE's efforts to shutter the U.S. Agency for International Development, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and other agencies could bring matters to a head, one House Republican told Axios.
"I think you're going to see a clash when they ... start abolishing [agencies]," the lawmaker said. "Say like USAID, right? We authorized that. That's a creature of Congress."
"If they try to do something like that, then you're going to get into a constitutional argument or crisis."
Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) warned that the Trump administration is moving “too fast” in its efforts to shrink the federal government. She said DOGE should take “a more surgical approach” to accomplishing its objectives.
Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE) also argued for a more measured, methodical approach. “Before making cuts rashly, the Administration should be studying and staffing to see what the consequences are. Measure twice before cutting,” he told Axios.
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Rep. Pete Sessions (R-TX) is one of several Republican lawmakers who has faced criticism from his constituents. When delivering an update to residents in his district, he faced a deluge of angry questions from voters, The New York Times reported.
A lawyer insisted that “The executive can only enforce laws passed by Congress; they cannot make laws,” arguing that the layoffs and the shuttering of federal agencies is unconstitutional. She asked when Congress is “going to wrest control back from the executive and stop hurting your constituents?”
Another resident stated he supported the DOGE initiative, but took issue with the way the operation is being carried out. He said “The guy in South Africa (Elon Musk) is not doing you any good – he’s hurting you more than he’s helping.”
Musk has come under fire from those suggesting that his approach to cutting government has been too aggressive and heavy-handed.
Rep. Richard McCormick (R-GA), who faced an angry town hall in his district, told reporters that he is “concerned that maybe we’re moving a little bit too fast,” The Washington Post reported.
The lawmaker faced boos and jeers while speaking at the town hall, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
One of the sharpest exchanges came after one attendee questioned McCormick on the DOGE-backed cuts of roughly 1,000 workers at the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
McCormick said he has been in “close contact” with the CDC and that “a lot of the work they do is duplicitous with AI” as some of in the audience groaned.
“I happen to be a doctor, I know a few things,” said McCormick, who went on to say he believes the CDC and other federal agencies “can do more with less, just like the Marine Corps and everyone else does when you have to do more with less to survive.”
That brought a sharp rejoinder from the questioner, who said he understands “trying to do more with less, that’s reasonable - what’s not reasonable is taking this chainsaw approach.”
“My understanding is when you say you have this many employees that you have to cut, that organization decides who to cut,” McCormick said, triggering more groans from the crowd.
The town hall crowd peppers Rep. Rich McCormick with boos and catcalls as he struggles to answer a pointed question from a resident who says she’s a descendant of Patrick Henry who pressed him on whether Trump was moving toward “tyranny.” #gapol https://t.co/gicXVC7AFJ pic.twitter.com/BkSIaxtgQb
— Greg Bluestein (@bluestein) February 21, 2025
McCormick has been supportive of the DOGE initiative but argued that Republicans should “take a deep breath, move a little bit slower and a little bit more deliberately” and indicated that this is what he is hearing from his constituents.
Musk and his team have faced numerous challenges – especially coming from the left. In its first month in existence, Democrat-aligned groups filed ten lawsuits against the actions DOGE has taken. However, up until this point, Republicans have been either silent on the issue, or supportive.
DOGE’s efforts, in some ways, have been rather ham-fisted. The latest kerfuffle over Musk demanding that federal employees respond to an email listing their accomplishments over the past week ruffled more than a few feathers. The request was not the primary concern. The issue was that those who did not respond could lose their jobs. There are also concerns about the sharing of classified information through these emails.
Nevertheless, these types of issues can be expected when a disruptive initiative is put into place – especially when its job is to cut government spending. As time goes on, many of these issues will likely be ironed out.
Editor's Note: President Trump, Elon Musk, and DOGE are bringing much-needed accountability to our out-of-control government as they take a chainsaw to rampant waste, fraud, and abuse.
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