Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) vehemently defended Elon Musk and his so-called Division of Authorities Effectivity’s marketing campaign to slash federal spending — and declined to endorse the concept Musk was stepping on Congress’ energy of the purse.
“It is attention-grabbing,” Jordan stated on CNN’s “Inside Politics” on Sunday. “Nobody needs to defend the waste, fraud and abuse, in order that they assault the man who’s exposing all of the waste, fraud and ridiculous issues we’re spending cash on.”
Over the previous few weeks, Musk and the DOGE crew have zeroed in on the Trump administration’s mission to overtake federal companies and cut back workers. Entities like the US Company for Worldwide Improvement and Division of Schooling have been DOGE’s primary targets, with Musk referring to USAID as a “criminal organization” on X.
The Trump administration ordered pressured administrative go away for over 2,000 staff of the international help company final week, although a choose issued a brief block on Friday of the motion. Trump has since stated he ordered DOGE to look into spending on the Schooling Division and the Protection Division on Friday.
When pushed by host Manu Raju as as to whether Musk ought to wield a lot energy, Jordan doubled down on his protection: ”The parents who work for DOGE are federal staff finishing up the need of the manager department chief, the president of the US,” he stated.
Spending authority within the Structure (Article 1, Part 7, clause 1) originates with the Home. Urgent the difficulty of authorized authority additional, Raju requested Jordan: “So, you are snug if he shuts these down with out getting congressional approval?”
“Nicely, Congress might be concerned sooner or later,” stated Jordan, the present chair of the Home Judiciary Committee.
In response to North Dakota Sen. Kevin Cramer’s feedback concerning the want for guardrails on Musk, Jordan stated “I believe the guardrails are you all within the press who’re speaking about it every single day.”
He added: “I do assume what Elon and his crew are doing, on the request, on the urging of the president — and it is one thing that he campaigned on. And It is one thing that folks evaluated and voted for on November 5.”
