Reports: Congress to Vote on DOGE’s Suggested Spending Cuts

Congress will reportedly get more say in the federal spending cuts and layoffs being made by the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

Musk and Republican lawmakers are meeting twice Wednesday (March 5) on Capitol Hill, and some of these lawmakers have been saying DOGE must consult more with lawmakers during its cost-cutting process, CNN reported Wednesday.

While supporting efforts to reshape the federal government, GOP lawmakers have been saying behind the scenes that DOGE should consult Congress more often about the scope of the cuts and the programs to be eliminated, according to the report.

In one meeting, Musk gave his cellphone number to GOP senators and said he wants to work more closely with them, per the report.

Meanwhile, CNBC reported Wednesday that in a meeting with Republican senators, Musk agreed with the lawmakers that the Senate and House would vote to approve or deny White House requests to make cuts suggested by DOGE. Congress constitutionally has the power of the purse.

The Washington Post also reported about the meetings Wednesday, saying some Republicans who support DOGE’s mission have been hearing complaints from their constituents and want Congress to have more input into large budget cuts and layoffs of federal employees.

Fox News reported Wednesday that Musk met with about 40 senators at a weekly lunch hosted by the chairman of the Republican Senate Steering Committee, Sen. Rick Scott of Florida.

At that meeting, Musk told the senators that DOGE’s cuts were saving about $4 million per day and that many federal workers are helping DOGE identify fraud and waste in the government because they have been “given permission to care.”

The Washington Times reported Wednesday that at the lunch meeting, senators suggested codifying the cuts made by DOGE by using a recissions process that requires only 51 senators’ votes — rather than the 60 usually needed to pass spending bills — and that Musk said he would be happy to see this process used to lock in the cuts.

Senate Budget Chairman Lindsey Graham of South Carolina said during the meeting, per the report, “There’s a political element to this [cost-cutting] we’re missing. We need to capture this in a legislative process to make it real.”

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