WASHINGTON, D.C. – Lawmakers told Fox News Digital they are “very impressed” with President-elect Donald Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) framework amid meetings on Capitol Hill with agency appointees Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy.
In November, Trump tapped Tesla CEO Musk and former presidential candidate Ramaswamy to co-lead DOGE under his administration — a new federal department that will aim to reduce government waste and slash costs.
Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa., chair of the Senate’s DOGE Caucus, led a meeting with senators Thursday to unveil a 60-page cost-cutting proposal. Ramawasy was present at the meeting, while Musk simultaneously sat down with incoming Senate Majority Leader Sen. John Thune of South Dakota.
“I’m very impressed with what Elon and Vivek want to accomplish,” Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., told Fox News Digital after leaving the DOGE Caucus meeting. “I can’t talk about what they are going to be proposing, but I’ve known them for a long time, and I think they’re going to do a great job.”
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Vivek Ramaswamy, chairman and co-founder of Strive Asset Management, center, arrives to meet with lawmakers on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024. (Al Drago)
While senators who attended the meeting would not reveal specifically where DOGE intends to cut costs, they all agreed that the conversation was productive.
“It showed a lot of us are on the same page,” Sen. Ted Budd, R-N.C., said of Thursday’s chat. “We need to make government serve people again.”
Budd added that he believes Musk and Ramaswamy are “the right people for the moment” to cut government costs.
Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., told Fox News Digital that DOGE is rolling out “hundreds of ideas” aimed towards achieving a “balanced budget.”
“It was just a great conversation,” Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., said after leaving the meeting.
President-elect Donald Trump tapped Elon Musk to lead the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) under his administration. (Brandon Bell)
Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., said, “We talked about a lot of things. This is the very beginning of a process that, if we do it right, will be ongoing. So right now, we are just talking about the art of the possible.”
Tillis added that he believes Democrats will come on board with DOGE.
Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan of Arkansas said his top priority in addressing costs is fixing “the regulatory burden and litigation abuse to do anything in America.”
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Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine also told reporters that it was a “good meeting.”
Sen. Joni Ernst chairs the Senate DOGE caucus. (Samuel Corum)
During Thursday’s DOGE caucus meeting, Ernst proposed the federal government relocate Washington’s workforce across the country, and for Congress to set a goal for all federal government agencies to achieve a 60% daily occupancy at their headquarters.
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Ernst’s report found that only 6% of workers currently report in-person on a full-time basis, with nearly one-third working remotely, according to a copy shared with Fox News Digital.
Fox News’ Brooke Singman contributed to this report.
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