Musk and Ramaswamy Met With Skepticism From Lawmakers During Capitol Hill DOGE Meeting – Pair Says They’re Making a “Naughty and Nice List” for 2026 Election

Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) co-leaders, Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, were on Capitol Hill this week pitching their plan to cut $2 trillion in wasteful government spending to lawmakers. 

As The Gateway Pundit reported, Musk and Ramaswamy were scheduled to meet with Republican lawmakers on Capitol Hill Thursday to discuss the new program aimed at cutting government waste.

Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) Heads Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy to Address Members of Congress Thursday on Capitol Hill – GOP Lawmakers Form DOGE Caucus and DOGE Committee

Last month, it was reported that Congressmen Aaron Bean (R-FL) and Pete Sessions (R-TX) launched a new congressional DOGE Caucus aimed at helping Musk and Ramaswamy accomplish their goals. Reps. Jeff Van Drew (R-NJ) and Ralph Norman (R-SC) have also joined the caucus. Even Democrat Representative Jared Moskowitz (D-FL) has reportedly agreed that “reducing ineffective government spending should not be a partisan issue,” vowing to join the Republican caucus.

Separately, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) plans to chair a DOGE House Oversight Subcommittee to “identify and investigate the waste, corruption, and absolutely useless parts of our federal government,” said Greene.

Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA), who has come under recent fire for opposing Trump's nominees, has also launched a Senate Doge Caucus. Senators John Cornyn (R-TX), Ted Budd (R-NC), Mike Lee (R-UT), Rick Scott (R-FL), Roger Marshall (R-KS), Eric Schmitt (R-MO), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and James Lankford (R-OK) have signed on to join the new caucus.

However, some lawmakers appear doubtful that the goals of DOGE will be accomplished. Rep Max Miller reportedly expressed that the cuts are not based on "reality."  Another lawmaker said, “They’re gonna offer a lot of solutions that are gonna roll off the tongue real easy, but look at the margins. They’re just not gonna have the horsepower,” indicating that GOP support will not be unanimous.

Per The Hill

“Probably half of them in there are really excited, and the other half know reality,” Miller said of those attending the meeting. His remarks alluded to doubts among Capitol Hill Republicans about DOGE’s ability to cut spending and radically reshape government.

Some members left the meeting highly skeptical Musk and Ramaswamy will be able to get anything like $2 trillion in spending cuts through Congress.

“These guys are going to get their eyes open,” said one Republican lawmaker, granted anonymity to speak candidly, pointing to the razor-thin majority in the House and the problem of the filibuster in the Senate.

Republicans will have a 219-215 majority at the beginning of the new House session because of Rep. Matt Gaetz’s (R-Fla.) decision to leave Congress despite winning reelection. That majority will then go down to 217-215 when two other Republicans leave for Trump administration posts.

Rep. Eli Crane (R-AZ) noted in an X post that "the biggest obstacles to the success of DOGE" will be lawmakers stonewalling the spending cuts.

Still, "It did give me hope that the richest man in the world (who has said he will play in primaries in coming electoral cycles) said they would be making a 'Naughty and Nice' list of those who get in the way of their efforts," Crane stated in his post:

Got to listen to these guys talk about their plans to slash fraud, waste and abuse from the federal government yesterday.

Unfortunately many people in the room will end up being the biggest obstacles to the success of DOGE.

It did give me hope that the richest man in the world (who has said he will play in primaries in coming electoral cycles) said they would be making a “Naughty and Nice” list of those who get in the way of their efforts.

Got to listen to these guys talk about their plans to slash fraud, waste and abuse from the federal government yesterday.

Unfortunately many people in the room will end up being the biggest obstacles to the success of DOGE.

It did give me hope that the richest man in the world… pic.twitter.com/gIJoxIBgo1

— Rep. Eli Crane (@RepEliCrane) December 6, 2024

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green (R-GA) also highlighted the "naughty and nice list for members of Congress based on their spending habits with their voting card," which will be used to publicly score lawmakers' voting records ahead of the 2026 elections. Additionally, "they're talking about communicating with the American people, perhaps maybe even a weekly podcast or a report," Green explained.

Greene spoke to reporters Thursday about her DOGE subcommittee's plans to expose "every single unelected bureaucrat, every single agency that is wasting the American people's money, and the big government departments that need to be exposed for how they're not serving the American people."

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) said in an X post that he's excited to work with Musk and Ramaswamy on "a leaner, more efficient government." He also noted that the federal government is far too large and inefficient, and "the American taxpayers deserve better."

Johnson spoke to reporters Thursday to explain the objectives of lawmakers meeting with DOGE.

WATCH:

Johnson: This is an important day. It's the beginning of a journey. You heard what DOGE is all about, the Department of Government and efficiency. It's a new thing, and this is a new day in Washington and a new day in America. We have long lamented the size and scope of the government that it has grown too large. And let me be frank about this: The government is too big. It does too many things, and it does almost nothing well. And the taxpayers deserve better. They deserve a more responsive government, a more efficient government, one that is leaner and more focused on its primary objectives. And that's the opportunity that we have here now.

We believe it's a historic moment for the country, and these two gentlemen are going to help navigate through this exciting new day. Elon and Vivek don't need much of an introduction here in Congress for certain, and most of the American people know what they're capable of and what they've achieved. Both of these gentlemen have run very successful organizations, they're innovators, and they're forward thinkers, and so that's what we need right now. And so, what you're going to have today is first is a meeting that we'll have here with decision makers, key figures in the Republican House and Senate, who are chairs of committees of jurisdiction, who deal with the money and financing of government and the structure of government.

We'll have chairs of the new DOGE caucuses that have been set up in the Senate and the House. And then after that, we'll proceed to the Congressional Auditorium, where all of the Senate Republicans and House Republicans have been invited, and I think many of them will gather for this discussion. So, there won't be a lot of detail for the press today, and that's by design because this is a brainstorming session. It is the first, again, as I said, of a long series of meetings that will be held as we're laying the groundwork for the new year and the new Congress. And you're going to see a lot of change around here and in Washington, in the way things are run.

We need to make government more efficient, and that is what this whole objective is. That's what the DOGE effort will be about. And you're going to see bicameral cooperation, and it will be, by the way, bipartisan. Over the last 24 or 48 hours, you've seen a number of our Democrat colleagues, both in the Senate and the House, who have said, “You know what, Sign me up. I want to be a part of this as well.” So, we welcome that. It should be a bipartisan effort, and I think we're going to do great things for the Country.

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