House Democrat: ‘I don’t contest’ DOGE will likely find ‘awful examples of wasteful spending’
Sarah Fortinsky – February 6, 2025
House Democrat: ‘I don’t contest’ DOGE will likely find ‘awful examples of wasteful spending’
Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) said Thursday he thinks President Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) commission, led by tech billionaire Elon Musk, will find “awful examples” of wasteful government spending.
But he said it’s important the findings be brought to Congress, which is responsible for appropriating government funds, according to the U.S. Constitution.
“I think they are likely to find awful examples of wasteful spending. I don’t contest that. I’m sure they can legitimately offer transparency and sunlight to the American people. Just come to Congress, show us what you’re finding, and then force up or down votes,” Khanna said in an interview on CNBC’s “Squawk Box.”
“And if Ro Khanna still votes for those wasteful spending, I’ll have to answer back home,” he continued.
Khanna criticized Musk’s approach “just to stop the payments or make these decisions unilaterally.”
“I don’t think it’s effective,” he said, adding that Trump and Musk can “actually have a partner with Congress to tell the American people what’s wrong. And if you have a good case, the American people will demand those cuts.”
Khanna, who represents Silicon Valley, has said that he’s open to working with Musk and DOGE to cut government waste, especially pointing to possible cuts in the Department of Defense.
“When the president and Elon Musk said that they wanted to bring transparency to government, expose waste and fraud, I was one of the Democrats who said, ‘OK, let’s work to see where that can happen,’” Khanna said.
“The problem I have is, come to Congress, show where the fraud is, show where the wasteful spending is and force an up or down vote,” he added. “Don’t make that decision unilaterally. That just, in my view, violates the Constitution. So if he wants to show that there’s a lot of wasteful spending, come to Congress, force us to vote on it.”
It’s a surprisingly hard question to answer. A White House record seen by Business Insider says his job is simply “unlisted.”
Though Musk has a White House access badge as of January 20 and has been widely described as the leader of DOGE, the White House has not officially confirmed Musk’s title. His X profile describes him as “White House Tech Support.”
When Donald Trump folded Musk’s “Department of Government Efficiency” into the White House, he did it by rebranding the US Digital Service — an Obama-era effort to bring modern software-development practices to the federal government — as the “US DOGE Service.” He also moved it under his chief of staff, Susie Wiles, and created a “temporary organization” that would enable the new USDS administrator to recruit people faster, without going through standard federal hiring procedures.
But the order didn’t say who the USDS administrator was, nor did any of Trump’s statements designating leaders of various departments and offices. Ted Carstensen, who had been the deputy administrator of the USDS since last year, told staff on Thursday that it would be his last day.
“They’d better figure out his title,” said Richard Painter, a government-ethics expert and persistent Trump critic. “The structure of this organization needs to be explained to the American people.”
In a January 27 report, the Congressional Research Service said that “a USDS administrator has not yet been named.” House Democrats also flagged in a letter to the leader of the Small Business Administration on Monday that they’d seen “no formal communications from the White House naming Elon Musk as Administrator.”
But the presumption that Musk leads the office or has some defined official authority seems widespread. Sen. Elizabeth Warren addressed a letter to him as “Administrator” of the “Department of Government Efficiency.” Earlier this week, a Texas state official published a press release praising “DOGE Chairman Elon Musk” for taking steps to shut down the US Agency for International Development, or USAID.
Musk, the White House Press Office, and Katie Miller, whom Trump has described as a DOGE advisor, didn’t respond to inquiries about who leads the USDS. The White House has said Musk is a “special government employee,” which means he can work for only 130 days a year. But that’s a classification, not a title.
Musk is known for being loose with titles. At Tesla, he gave himself the title of “technoking” in 2021. At Twitter, now known as X, his title was “chief twit.” “No idea who the CEO is,” he said in a 2022 post.
Even Tesla doesn’t seem to be sure what Musk’s government role is. In its annual report published on January 29, Tesla said Musk had management roles at several companies and was “involved in other ventures and with the Department of Government Efficiency.”
The ambiguity extends beyond Musk himself. Some of the techies linked to Musk who have gone to work at the Office of Personnel Management and agencies like the Treasury Department have nebulous titles like “senior advisor” and “expert.”
“I think that this is an intentional strategy to create confusion as to whether he actually has a formal title or whether he is just a part-time unpaid advisor to the president,” said John Pelissero, the director of government ethics at the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara University. “If you are clear that if he is the administrator of DOGE, then he has to comply with various rules that are in place that apply to other executive branch employees.”
Painter, the ethics lawyer, suggested the White House may be trying to keep Musk’s financial disclosures out of the public eye. The executive order that renamed USDS also moved it out of the Office of Management and Budget and into the White House Office, a part of the executive branch that is harder for Congress and others to scrutinize because of executive privilege.
Anti-Trump Protests Break Out at State Capitols Across the Country
Hafiz Rashid – February 5, 2025
Thousands of Americans are protesting in cities across the United States Wednesday against Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s early attempts to overhaul the federal government.
The protests took place at state capitols across the country, organized online by a movement called 50501, referring to 50 protests in 50 states in one day. Demonstrators gathered in Michigan, Texas, Wisconsin, Indiana, Delaware, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and elsewhere, according to the r/50501 subreddit and the Associated Press.
In Philadelphia, protesters gathered outside of a federal courthouse holding signs that said “TRUMP + MUSK ARE NOT KINGS” and “RESIST.” In Madison, Wisconsin, demonstrators at the state Capitol held signs objecting to fascism, Elon Musk, and the conservative manifesto Project 2025. In Lansing, Michigan, about 500 people demonstrated outside the state Capitol denouncing Trump’s plans for Gaza, the rollback of transgender rights, and the federal government’s mass deportation efforts under Trump.
One of the organizers at Michigan’s protest only learned about the movement on Sunday night, and helped with coordinating speakers and safety protocols.
“I want to look back at this time and say that I did something and I didn’t just sit back,” Kelsey Brianne told the AP Monday night.
On social media, protesters used the hashtag #50501 to organize and document the protests. Videos were also posted by journalists and media outlets across the country showing local protests.
X screenshot Matthew Pearson @justmattphotoj: I’m outside the Georgia State Capitol where a crowd has gathered as part of the 50501 protests that went viral through Reddit. Protesters are chanting demands to shut down ICE and protect trans youth along with condemning Elon Musk’s role in the Trump admin. @wabenews (photos of the protests, including one sign that says “Elon Musk Is A Terrible President”More
Protest organizers describe the push as a “decentralized rapid response to the anti-democratic, destructive, and, in many cases, illegal actions being undertaken by the Trump administration and his plutocrats,” the “Build the Resistance” website states.
Kay Evert, an organizer involved in the movement, told USA TODAY the effort started as an idea posted on Reddit and several activist organizations hopped in to help consolidate, organize and promote the protests.
“We’re here trying to keep them going forward,” she said. “This is going to bring up so much …. no one can ignore this, right? We want to have that momentum continue on.”
A post in the 50501 subreddit Wednesday morning claims the movement has evolved in less than two weeks, amassed 72,000 participants, and planned 67 protests across 40 states.
The 50501 moderators also partnered with Political Revolution, a PAC and volunteer-only activist organization founded out of the conclusion of Sen. Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign in 2016.
The 50501 movement and Political Revolution said in a joint press release they are calling for the removal or resignation of President Donald Trump, investigations into his administration appointees including Elon Musk, the repeal of “oppressive” executive orders and the restoration of diversity, equity and inclusion frameworks.
Evert said protests are also aimed at Project 2025, the conservative agenda that re-entered the public conversations as Democrats condemned some early Trump administration moves.
“Our goal is to unite the American people against our common enemy: the Trump administration, anyone involved in dismantling our democracy, and anyone who wishes to divide us by our differences instead of unite us by what makes us American,” the joint press release states.
Kinsey Crowley is a trending news reporter at USA TODAY.
‘Anti-Trumpers’ plan protests in every state on Wednesday. What’s happening in Georgia?
Vanessa Countryman, Savannah Morning News – February 4, 2025
A group calling themselves the “50501 Movement” are planning protests across the country, and in Georgia, on Wednesday, Feb. 5.
The group claims to be fighting “fascism” by protesting against President Donald Trump and his actions in office.
How many people are in the 50501 Movement?
U.S. President Donald Trump looks on as he signs an executive order in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, U.S., January 31, 2025.
The movement has platforms, including a website and social media accounts, but the number of members is unclear. The Instagram account has nearly 7,000 followers and its official Bluesky account has over 10,000 followers.
Where are people protesting in Georgia against Trump?
The group is planning to hold protests mostly at each state’s capitol building. Georgia’s will be held at Centennial Park in Atlanta at 2 p.m., according the groups social media.
More groups are forming around the state, including in Augusta at the Richmond County Courthouse from 4 to 7 p.m.
Why are people protesting against Donald Trump?
They are protesting Project 2025 because they believe that the president is attempting to destroy freedoms and human rights.
What is Project 2025?
Project 2025 is a movement started by over 100 conservative organizations. This movement is intended to get rid of the so-called ‘Deep State’ and give the government back to the people, according to its website. Here is a list of some of its policy suggestions:
Secure the border, finish building the wall, and deport illegal aliens
De-weaponize the Federal Government by increasing accountability and oversight of the FBI and DOJ
Unleash American energy production to reduce energy prices
Cut the growth of government spending to reduce inflation
Make federal bureaucrats more accountable to the democratically elected President and Congress
Improve education by moving control and funding of education from DC bureaucrats directly to parents and state and local governments
Ban biological males from competing in women’s sports
Vanessa Countryman is the Trending Topics Reporter for the the Deep South Connect Team Georgia.
