Scoop: More than 100 lawmakers join Congressional DOGE Caucus
2025-02-11
Category: political

EXCLUSIVE: More than 100 congressional lawmakers have lined up behind the goal of cutting government waste, as Republicans and Democrats wage an aggressive ideological battle over the merits of Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). The Congressional DOGE Caucus was founded shortly after President Donald Trump tapped Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy to lead an advisory panel on where the federal bureaucracy could be trimmed. That effort is now being led by Musk alone, and it's attracted fierce criticism from Democratic lawmakers who call him an unelected bureaucrat with too much control over the federal government despite no prior experience inside of it. KEY CONSERVATIVE CAUCUS DRAWS RED LINE ON HOUSE BUDGET PLAN  But in the House, enthusiasm for the mission is still strong. Fox News Digital was told more than 100 members are part of the DOGE Caucus – which is more than one in five House lawmakers. The group's members are currently working on legislative items aimed at reducing government spending and forwarding specific items on Trump's agenda, Fox News Digital was told. The caucus, led by Reps. Aaron Bean, R-Fla., Pete Sessions, R-Texas, and House GOP Conference Vice Chair Blake Moore, R-Utah, has had two meetings so far.&nbsp; BLACK CAUCUS CHAIR ACCUSES TRUMP OF 'PURGE' OF 'MINORITY' FEDERAL WORKERS  During the second session, lawmakers were asked which of eight different working groups they wanted to be a part of, after which those groups would focus on finding areas to trim government waste in their designated areas. Documents obtained by Fox News Digital after the second meeting showed the working groups are: "Retirement," "safety net and family support," "emergency supplementals," "natural resources and permitting," "homeland and legal," "defense and [veterans affairs]," "workforce and infrastructure," and "finance and government operations." Fox News Digital was told those member selections have been made, and the groups are "in full swing."  The caucus has seen significant interest from outside the Washington, D.C., Beltway as well, according to numbers shared with Fox News Digital.&nbsp; CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP  More than 40,000 people have reached out to the DOGE Caucus' email tip line, and Fox News Digital was told that some ideas "for how to cut waste, fraud, and abuse" were shared with Musk's DOGE team. A source in the room during the group's previous meeting told Fox News Digital that Bean also challenged lawmakers to introduce at least one bill each aimed at cutting government waste.