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Elon Musk warns Federal Reserve may face DOGE audit

Varney & Co. host Stuart Varney reacts to Democrats attacks on Elon Musk over his federal budget cost-cutting efforts.

Billionaire Elon Musk on Sunday signaled that the Federal Reserve could face scrutiny as Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) continues to audit federal agencies and spending.

Musk wrote on X in response to a user’s post about the billionaire’s support for an audit of the Fed that the central bank isn’t above scrutiny from DOGE.

“All aspects of the government must be fully transparent and accountable to the people. No exceptions, including, if not especially, the Federal Reserve,” Musk wrote.

Musk is a longtime critic of the central bank and has called out its decisions on monetary policy as well as claiming the Fed’s workforce is bloated.

POWELL PUSHES BACK ON MUSK’S CLAIM FED IS ‘ABSURDLY OVERSTAFFED’

Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) leader Elon Musk warned the Federal Reserve could face an audit. (om Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images / Getty Images)

In May 2024, Musk posted that the “Fed has a crazy high number of employees.”

The billionaire CEO of Tesla and SpaceX also said last summer the Fed was too slow in cutting interest rates, writing on X in August that the Fed “needs to drop rates” and has been “foolish not to have done so already.”

The Fed would go on to cut rates in September in line with the market’s expectations, which it followed with further cuts in November and December.

FEDERAL JUDGE BLOCKS ELON MUSK’S DOGE FROM ACCESSING TREASURY RECORDS AFTER DEMOCRATIC AGS FILE LAWSUIT

Fed Chairman Jerome Powell pushed back on Musk’s claim that the central bank is “absurdly overstaffed.” (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images / Getty Images)

Fed Chair Jerome Powell was asked about Musk’s recent claim that the central bank’s workforce is “absurdly overstaffed” at a press conference last month following the central bank’s decision to leave rates steady at the current range of 4.25% to 4.5%.

“We run a very careful budget process where we’re fully aware. We owe that to the public, and we believe we do that. I’ve got no further comment on that, thanks,” Powell responded to FOX Business’ Edward Lawrence.

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February 10, 2025
DOGE Caucus nabs over 100 House lawmakers despite Dem attacks on Musk

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

The Congressional DOGE Caucus now has over 100 members, Fox News Digital was told. (House of Representatives/Getty)

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.

BLACK CAUCUS CHAIR ACCUSES TRUMP OF ‘PURGE’ OF ‘MINORITY’ FEDERAL WORKERS

Rep. Aaron Bean is a DOGE Cuucus co-founder. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

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.”

President Donald Trump is pushing for a dramatic rollback in the federal government. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

The caucus has seen significant interest from outside the Washington, D.C., Beltway as well, according to numbers shared with Fox News Digital.

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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.

Elizabeth Elkind is a politics reporter for Fox News Digital leading coverage of the House of Representatives. Previous digital bylines seen at Daily Mail and CBS News.

Follow on Twitter at @liz_elkind and send tips to [email protected]

February 10, 2025
Noem supports getting rid of FEMA ‘the way it exists today’ amid Musk DOGE audit

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Sunday that she supported getting rid of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) “the way it exists today.”

In an appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Noem’s stance appeared in line with that of President Donald Trump and Elon Musk, who have both suggested shutting down FEMA could be an option, as the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has reportedly gained access to FEMA’s sensitive disaster relief data to review its programs.

“Can and should Donald Trump shut it down?” CNN’s Dana Bash asked Noem.

“He can. And I believe that he will do that evaluation with his team,” Noem said. “And he’s talking about it, which I’m grateful for. He’ll work with Congress, though, to make sure that it’s done correctly and that we’re still there to help folks who have a terrible disaster or a crisis in their life. He’s been very clear that he still believes there’s a role for the federal government to come in and help people get back up on their feet. But there’s a lot of fraud and waste and abuse out there. And since President Trump has taken over and come back into this administration, we’ve seen incredible change.”

NOEM RESPONDS TO SECRET SERVICE SCRUTINY AS TRUMP TO BECOME 1ST PRESIDENT TO ATTEND SUPER BOWL

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem delivers remarks to staff at DHS headquarters on Jan. 28, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Manuel Balce Ceneta-Pool/Getty Images)

Noem, who visited Asheville, North Carolina, on Saturday to meet with Hurricane Helene victims and survey the damage, told CNN that she oversaw 12 different natural disasters that prompted a FEMA response when she was governor of South Dakota.

As Trump considers block grants for state and local officials experiencing natural disasters, Noem said Sunday that she knew from experience that local officials, such as county emergency management directors, mayors, city council and commissioners “made way better decisions than the people in Washington, D.C.”

Asked what she would tell Trump if the president asked her to get rid of FEMA, Noem said, “I would say yes, get rid of FEMA the way it exists today.”

“We still need the resources and the funds and the finances to go to people that have these types of disasters like Hurricane Helene and the fires in California,” Noem told Bash. “But you need to let the local officials make the decisions on how that is deployed so it can be deployed much quicker. And we don’t need this bureaucracy that’s picking and choosing winners.”

White House border czar Tom Homan and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem outside the White House in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025. (Samuel Corum/Sipa/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Noem said Trump “has been clear, too, that he still wants to help people,” but condemned FEMA for “targeting individuals, helping some people and not others.” The secretary appeared to be referencing how FEMA employees under former President Biden skipped homes in hurricane-ravaged areas that had displayed pro-Trump signs last year.

KRISTI NOEM HEADS TO ASHEVILLE AMID HEAVY CRITICISM OF FEMA RESPONSE UNDER BIDEN

Noem also referenced how Trump managed to close 80% of the open FEMA cases in North Carolina related to Hurricane Helene,” adding, “It’s amazing when you have somebody who cares … how quickly the response can be.”

The DHS secretary also defended Musk, as DOGE conducts an audit of federal agencies.

Trump established the FEMA Review Council last month to improve the agency after Hurricane Helene devastated places like Asheville, North Carolina. (Reuters/Marco Bello; AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

“We’re working with them at the president’s direction to find what we can do to make our department much more efficient,” Noem said. “This is essentially an audit of the federal government…. And one of the things I’ve been very clear to the appropriators in the Senate and the House is please give me the authority to reprogram funds.”

Asked if she felt comfortable with Musk’s data access, Noem said, “Elon Musk is part of the administration that is helping us identify where we can find savings and what we can do. And he has gone through the processes to make sure that he has the authority. The president has appointed him. I am today by the work that he is doing, by identifying waste, fraud and abuse. And his information that he has is looking at programs, not focusing on personal data and information.”

After the interview, Musk posted to X on Monday morning that his DOGE team discovered that FEMA last week alone sent $59 million to “luxury hotels in New York City to house illegal migrants.” Musk said that “sending this money violated the law and is in gross insubordination to the President’s executive order,” and, “that money is meant for American disaster relief and instead is being spent on high end hotels for illegals!”

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“A clawback demand will be made today to recoup those funds,” Musk added.

Danielle Wallace is a breaking news and politics reporter at Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to [email protected] and on X: @danimwallace.

February 10, 2025
Elon Musk is ushering a chronically online generation into Trump’s second term.

President Donald Trump’s first term revolutionized the online relationship between the president and the public, but self-proclaimed “White House Tech Support” Elon Musk is ushering a chronically online generation into Trump’s second term.

Trump has been using Truth Social in his second term like he used Twitter during his first, blasting off posts at all hours of the day to roll out policy announcements and comment on his favorite – or least favorite – news shows. Truth Social reads like Trump’s own stream of consciousness, and most Truth users are loyal Trump supporters who use the social media platform to rally around his policies.

Musk’s X account reads more like a political debate. Buried in the steady stream of memes and AI edits, “special government employee” Musk uses X as a way to meet Americans where they are – confirming and denying information about his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) in real time.

It is easy to get lost in Musk’s 69,000 posts, but the richest man in the world does not miss a beat. This week, as an unrelenting news cycle focused on DOGE’s United States Agency for International Development (USAID) investigation, Musk used X to confirm reporting as misinformation circulated.

HOUSE DEMOCRAT LEAVES CONGRESSIONAL DOGE CAUCUS, SAYING MUSK IS ‘BLOWING THINGS UP’

Self-proclaimed “White House Tech Support” and X owner Elon Musk has 216 million followers on X. (Getty)

“All @DOGE did was check to see which federal organizations were violating the @POTUS executive orders the most. Turned out to be USAID, so that became our focus,” Musk explained in a post on Monday.

On Wednesday, Musk confirmed reporting by the Wall Street Journal that DOGE is investigating the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, posting: “Yeah, this is where the big money fraud is happening.”

DEMOCRATS TRY TO ENTER DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AMID OUTRAGE OVER POSSIBLE DOGE CUTS

Musk invites his followers to engage in the Democratic process right through the app, asking,”Bring back @DOGE staffer who made inappropriate statements via a now deleted pseudonym?” Musk asked his X followers in an X poll on Friday morning.

Musk polled his followers on Tuesday as well, asking if DOGE should audit the IRS.

Between the polls and DOGE confirmations, Musk floods his account with political commentary and quick reactions to trending posts. Musk simply responded with a bullseye emoji when an X user posted, “If you’re more angry that a handful of 22 year old software engineers are writing code to uncover fraudulent government spending than at the people who are fraudulently spending your hard earned taxes, it’s time to do some soul searching.”

Musk also embraces his platform as a vehicle to spark political debate with Democratic leaders.

In recent days, Democrats in Congress have unleashed attacks on Musk, including Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., who said, “Elon Musk is a Nazi nepo baby, a godless lawless billionaire, who no one elected” at a rally outside the Treasury Department, where protesters were speaking out against DOGE.

“Elon, this is the American people. This is not your trashy Cybertruck that you can just dismantle, pick apart, and sell the pieces of,” she continued.

“We are gonna be in your face, we are gonna be on your a–es, and we are going to make sure you understand what democracy looks like, and this ain’t it,” Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, said at the same rally.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., was also in attendance and told the crowd that Musk’s DOGE efforts are “taking away everything we have.”

The official DOGE account has a more formal tone and often doubles down on Musk’s posts to verify new information. DOGE has over 3 million followers on X.

As the owner of X, Musk is the most followed person on the app with a staggering 216.4 million followers. Musk has more followers on X than Trump has on Truth Social (8.83 million) and X (100.4 million) combined.

These days, Trump follows a Truth Social first media strategy. During his presidential transition, Trump announced his cabinet nominations on Truth Social before the transition team hit send on the press release. The press release that arrived several minutes later simply directed reporters back to the Truth Social post.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, right, accompanied by President Donald Trump, speaks during a news conference in the Roosevelt Room of the White House on Jan. 21, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Musk’s constant posts landed him at odds with Trump last week when Musk said OpenAI does not have the money for The Stargate Project’s $500 billion investment in AI over the next four years. Musk said he had it on “good authority” that “SoftBank has well under $10B secured” for the investment, soon after Trump finished a press conference announcing the project.

Trump shrugged off Musk’s comments later that week, telling the press Musk “hates one of the people in the deal.” OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Musk have a long-standing legal feud.

While Trump is using X again, he is more likely to post a screenshot of his Truth Social post than break any news on Musk’s platform. Trump was banned from Twitter after Jan. 6 and launched Truth Social in 2022. His account was reinstated after Musk bought Twitter and renamed it X.

President-elect Donald Trump, right, greets Elon Musk as he arrives to attend a viewing of the launch of the sixth test flight of the SpaceX Starship rocket on Nov. 19, 2024 in Brownsville, Texas. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

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Musk said he bought Twitter to “help humanity” and committed to protecting free speech. While liberal ideology dominated Twitter, X is more likely to lean conservative. A Pew Research Center survey in 2023 found Republicans are more likely to view the site positively since Musk arrived on the scene, while Democrats are more likely to say X has a ne gativeimpact on American democracy.

Fox News’ Andrew Mark Miller contributed to this report

Deirdre Heavey is a politics writer for Fox News Digital.

February 10, 2025
Elon Musk outlines ‘super obvious’ changes DOGE and Treasury have agreed to make

Billionaire Elon Musk outlined a list of “super obvious” changes that his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) plans to make at the U.S. Treasury Department this weekend.

Musk says officials at the treasury are working to make the government’s books more simple to audit, as well as more accountability for where funds are going. The changes also require treasury employees to more frequently update the congressional “do not pay” list, which highlights fraudsters and illegal fronts.

“Nobody in Treasury management cared enough before. I do want to credit the working level people in Treasury who have wanted to do this for many years, but have been stopped by prior management,” Musk said.

“Everything at Treasury was geared towards complain[t] minimization. People [who] receive money don’t complain, but people who don’t receive money (especially fraudsters) complain very loudly, so the fraud was allowed to continue,” he added.

USAID HAS ‘DEMONSTRATED PATTERN OF OBSTRUCTIONISM,’ CLAIMS TOP DOGE REPUBLICAN IN LETTER TO RUBIO

“The above super obvious and necessary changes are being implemented by existing, long-time career government employees, not anyone from DOGE,” Musk added.

“It is ridiculous that these changes didn’t exist already! Yesterday, I was told that there are currently over $100B/year of entitlements payments to individuals with no SSN or even a temporary ID number,” he continued. “If accurate, this is extremely suspicious. When I asked if anyone at Treasury had a rough guess for what percentage of that number is unequivocal and obvious fraud, the consensus in the room was about half, so $50B/year or $1B/week!! This is utterly insane and must be addressed immediately.”

ELON MUSK’S DOGE MAKES ANOTHER HIRING PUSH

Billionaire Elon Musk’s DOGE is targeting the Treasury Department. (Kenny Holston-Pool/Getty Images)

Musk’s tirade toward the treasury department comes just after a federal judge blocked DOGE’s ability to access treasury department systems. The Tesla CEO condemned the ruling as “insane” this weekend.

‘VIPER’S NEST’: USAID ACCUSED OF CORRUPTION, MISMANAGEMENT LONG BEFORE TRUMP ADMIN TOOK AIM

The Friday lawsuit, which was filed by 19 Democratic attorneys general, claimed Musk’s team violated the law by being given “full access” to the Treasury’s payment systems. The systems include information about Americans’ Social Security, Medicare and veterans’ benefits, tax refund information and more.

The lawsuit was filed in New York by the office of New York Attorney General Letitia James, who wrote that President Donald Trump “does not have the power to give away Americans’ private information to anyone he chooses, and he cannot cut federal payments approved by Congress.”

A federal judge intervened to block DOGE from accessing treasury department systems. (ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP via Getty Images)

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has expressed support for Musk and DOGE in the past, recently saying that the U.S. “doesn’t have a revenue problem, we have a spending problem.”

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“At the Treasury, our payment system is not being touched,” Bessent said in a “Kudlow” interview on Wednesday. “We process 1.3 billion payments a year. There is a study being done — can we have more accountability, more accuracy, more traceability that the money is going where it is?”

Anders Hagstrom is a reporter with Fox News Digital covering national politics and major breaking news events. Send tips to [email protected], or on Twitter: @Hagstrom_Anders.

February 9, 2025
Elon Musk alleges $50B in fraud at Treasury after judge blocks DOGE audit

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent unpacks the power tariffs have in world negotiations on ‘Kudlow.’

Elon Musk responded to a federal judge’s order temporarily blocking the Department of Government Efficiency’s (DOGE) access to sensitive Treasury Department data with a blitz of X posts alleging shocking levels of potential fraud.

The preliminary injunction issued Saturday by U.S. District Judge Paul Engelmayer backed 19 Democratic state attorneys general who claimed that giving DOGE “full access” to the Treasury’s payment systems violates the law.

Engelmayer scheduled a Feb. 20 hearing, until which time DOGE will have diminished access to Treasury data that includes Americans’ Social Security, Medicare, veterans benefits and tax refund information.

PALANTIR CEO TOUTS ELON MUSK’S DOGE, ABILITY TO HOLD ‘SACRED COW OF THE DEEP STATE’ ACCOUNTABLE

But Musk said DOGE had already found major problems with the way the Treasury Department was paying America’s bills before Engelmayer’s injunction.

“[Friday], I was told that there are currently over $100B/year of entitlements payments to individuals with no SSN or even a temporary ID number. If accurate, this is extremely suspicious,” Musk wrote hours after the ruling.

“When I asked if anyone at Treasury had a rough guess for what percentage of that number is unequivocal and obvious fraud, the consensus in the room was about half, so $50B/year or $1B/week!! This is utterly insane and must be addressed immediately.”

SpaceX and Tesla founder Elon Musk speaks during an America PAC town hall Oct. 26, 2024, in Lancaster, Pa. (Samuel Corum/Getty Images / Getty Images)

The X, Tesla and SpaceX owner and Trump confidante also implied that previous Treasury officials blocked their employees from investigating waste.

“Nobody in Treasury management cared enough before,” Musk wrote. “I do want to credit the working level people in Treasury who have wanted to do this for many years, but have been stopped by prior management.”

One of the goals agreed upon by DOGE and the Treasury Department, Musk said, is to “require that all outgoing government payments have a payment categorization code, which is necessary in order to pass financial audits.”

“This is frequently left blank, making audits almost impossible,” he added.

Musk also stressed that all Treasury payments “must also include a rationale for the payment in the comment field, which is currently left blank.”

ELON MUSK’S DOGE MAKES ANOTHER HIRING PUSH

The U.S. Treasury Building in Washington, D.C. (Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images / Getty Images)

“Importantly, we are not yet applying ANY judgment to this rationale, but simply requiring that SOME attempt be made to explain the payment more than NOTHING!” Musk wrote. “The DO-NOT-PAY list of entities known to be fraudulent or people who are dead or are probable fronts for terrorist organizations or do not match Congressional appropriations must actually be implemented and not ignored.

“Also, it can currently take up to a year to get on this list, which is far too long. This list should be updated at least weekly, if not daily,” the entrepreneur added. “The above super obvious and necessary changes are being implemented by existing, long-time career government employees, not anyone from @DOGE.”

Elon Musk on Capitol Hill Dec. 5, 2024, in Washington, D.C. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images / Getty Images)

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Musk added that it was “ridiculous that these changes didn’t exist already” and revealed he was recently told of massive waste in entitlement payments, to the tune of $1 billion per week.

“Everything at Treasury was geared towards complain[t] minimization,” he added. “People who receive money don’t complain, but people who don’t receive money (especially fraudsters) complain very loudly, so the fraud was allowed to continue.”

February 9, 2025
Trump unafraid of putting Musk in front of press: ‘He’s not shy’

President Donald Trump on Friday said Elon Musk is doing a ‘very good job’ with the Department of Government Efficiency.

President Donald Trump is not apologizing for Elon Musk. In fact, he seems ready to show off the tech billionaire.

On Friday, while taking questions during a bilateral meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, Trump was pressed by a reporter on whether the media would have a chance to question Musk.

“Oh, sure. He’ll be— He’s not shy. Elon’s not shy,” Trump answered.

President-elect Donald Trump, right, walks with Elon Musk before attending a viewing of the launch of the sixth test flight of the SpaceX Starship rocket in Brownsville, Texas, on Nov. 19, 2024. (Brandon Bell/Pool via Reuters TPX Images of the Day / Reuters)

Trump was also asked about a recent Time magazine cover depicting Musk sitting behind the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office at the White House. In response, Trump, who was named Time’s 2024 Person of the Year, quipped that he didn’t realize the magazine was still around.

“Is Time magazine still in business? I didn’t even know that,” Trump joked. However, he went on to give the tech billionaire some serious praise. “Elon is doing a great job. He’s finding tremendous fraud, and corruption, and waste.”

The president specifically praised Musk’s work in going through U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) spending, saying that “the whole thing is a fraud.”

“Every single line that I look at as far as events and transactions is either corrupt or ridiculous,” Trump told reporters before adding, “He’s doing a very good job. I’m very happy with him.”

President-elect Donald Trump, left, and Elon Musk talk ringside during the UFC 309 event at Madison Square Garden in New York City on Nov. 16, 2024. (Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC / Getty Images)

DEMOCRATS TRY TO SCARE FEDERAL WORKERS FROM ACCEPTING DOGE’S BUYOUT OFFER

Just over two weeks into Trump’s second term, the head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) became the target of Democrats’ ire, with many protesting against him.

On Saturday, Musk claimed that DOGE had uncovered that the Treasury Department had instructed staff to approve payments to “known fraudulent or terrorist groups.”

ELON MUSK IS FIXING THE FEDERAL BUDGET AT LIGHT SPEED: KEVIN HASSETT

Democrats were outraged that Musk, a private citizen, was given access to sensitive Treasury Department payment systems.

“Anytime a person can pay $250 million into a campaign, and they be given full access to the Department of the Treasury of the United States of America, we are at war,” Rep. LaMonica McIver, D-N.J., said during a rally hosted by MoveOn Civic Action, Indivisible and the Working Families Party on Tuesday.

Demonstrators rally outside the Treasury Department in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday. (Reuters/Kent Nishimura / Reuters)

In a letter Tuesday to federal lawmakers, a Treasury Department official said a tech executive working with DOGE will have “read-only access” to the government’s payment system.

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Despite Democrats’ fury, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent defended Musk during an appearance on FOX Business’ “Kudlow.”

“Elon Musk is the greatest entrepreneur of this generation,” Bessent said. “DOGE is not going to fail. They are moving a lot of people’s cheese here in the capital, and when you hear this squawking, then some status quo interest is not happy.”

Fox News’ Louis Casiano contributed to this report.

February 7, 2025
House Democrat leaves congressional DOGE caucus, saying Musk is ‘blowing things up’

Rep. Val Hoyle, D-Ore., said on Thursday that she is leaving the congressional Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) Caucus due to Elon Musk’s cost-cutting measures in the executive branch.

Hoyle made the announcement via a statement and said her intentions on the caucus were to serve as a good steward for her constituents’ tax dollars and to make the government more streamlined and efficient.

However, she said Musk’s actions, which are separate from the congressional caucus, have made that impossible, and she claimed DOGE’s work is to find funds to give tax breaks to billionaires at the expense of working people.

USAID STAFFERS STUNNED, ANGERED BY TRUMP ADMINISTRATION’S DOGE SHUTDOWN OF $40 BILLION AGENCY

“I joined to be a voice for working people and their interests. But it is impossible to fix the system when Elon Musk is actively breaking it, so I have made the decision to leave,” Hoyle wrote on X late Thursday.

Rep. Val Hoyle, D-Ore., said on Thursday that she is leaving the Congressional Department of Government Efficiency Caucus because Elon Musk’s role in the agency is “burning down the government and the law.” (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images, left, Andrew Harnik/Getty Images, right.)

“It is impossible for us to do that important work when unelected billionaire Elon Musk and his lackeys [insist] on burning down the government—and the law—to line his own pockets and rip off Americans across the country who depend on government services to live with dignity,” she wrote in an accompanying statement.

The newly minted agency, a key promise of President Donald Trump’s re-election campaign, is tasked with slashing government waste and providing increased transparency when it comes to government spending. It was created via executive order and is a temporary organization within the White House that will spend 18 months until July 4, 2026, carrying out its mission.

Hoyle said she was alarmed about Musk’s team accessing sensitive Department of Treasury payment systems. She also accused his team of using intimidation tactics to “terrorize the hard-working public servants” who deliver these services.

DOGE was created via executive order by President Donald Trump, and it is a temporary organization within the White House that will spend 18 months, until July 4, 2026, carrying out its mission. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

DOGE TARGETS MEDICARE AGENCY, LOOKING FOR FRAUD

A federal judge on Thursday temporarily blocked the DOGE from obtaining access to any payment record or payment system of records maintained within the Treasury’s Bureau of Fiscal Service. On Wednesday, the Justice Department agreed in a proposed court order to limit access to the sensitive records to only two “special government employees” within DOGE, who will have read-only permission.

Hoyle said that if she thought that she, or Democrats or Republicans on the caucus had any influence, then she would stay.

“But, fundamentally, I don’t see how we can actually do this work when Elon Musk is blowing things up,” she told NewsNation Thursday. “It’s like trying to replace your roof when someone’s throwing dynamite through the window.

“So I’m leaving the DOGE Caucus, I will continue to do the work to find efficiencies, but right now I just don’t think it’s possible with what’s happening.”

DOGE has riled Democrats, particularly around USAID, and Hoyle’s announcement comes just days after DOGE targeted the agency, leading to the firing of 50 top officials and the organization being folded into the State Department. The actions came after Secretary of State Marco Rubio, acting on Trump’s executive order, paused all U.S. foreign assistance funded by or through the State Department and USAID.

The 90-day pause has halted thousands of U.S.-funded humanitarian, development and security programs worldwide and forced aid organizations to lay off hundreds of employees because they cannot make payroll.

Employees and supporters gather to protest outside the U.S. Agency for International Development headquarters on Feb. 3, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

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DOGE has focused much of its initial work on canceling DEI programs, consulting contracts and lease terminations for federal buildings.

The agency wrote on Tuesday that it canceled 12 contracts with the Government Services Administration and the Department of Education, resulting in a total savings of about $30 million. It also canceled 12 underused leases for savings of $3 million. On Monday, DOGE said it canceled 36 contracts, leading to savings of about $165 million across six agencies.

DOGE posted on Jan. 28 that the group is saving the federal government around $1 billion per day, mostly by stopping the hiring of people into unnecessary positions, deletion of DEI and stopping improper payments to foreign organizations.

Fox News’ Eric Revell, Greg Norman, Anders Hagstrom, Greg Wehner, Chris Pandolfo, The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

Michael Dorgan is a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business.

You can send tips to [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @M_Dorgan.

February 7, 2025
‘Damn right’: Liz Cheney’s past USAID employment faces backlash after lashing out at Elon Musk

Former GOP Congresswoman Liz Cheney was ripped by conservatives on social media after she defended her previous work at USAID, which became the most prominent target of DOGE in recent days, in an exchange on X that drew the attention of DOGE’s leader, Elon Musk.

“Damn right, @Elon,” Cheney said on X in response to Musk, tagging an account that does not belong to Musk, on Wednesday. “I’m proud of what America did to win the Cold War, defeat Soviet communism, and defend democracy. Our nation stood for freedom. You may be unfamiliar with that part of our history since you weren’t yet an American citizen.”

Musk had written “interesting” in response to a post from Foundation For Freedom Online Executive Director Mike Benz, who had written that Cheney was “spawned” out of USAID, citing her previous position as an officer for the embattled and now seemingly shuttered agency.

Cheney spent time at USAID working within embassies related to efforts in Poland, Hungary, Russia and Ukraine.

MEET THE YOUNG TEAM OF SOFTWARE ENGINEERS SLASHING GOVERNMENT WASTE AT DOGE: REPORT

Former GOP Rep. Liz Cheney was criticized on social media after responding to Elon Musk regarding the USAID controversy. (Getty Images)

Several conservatives on social media took issue with Cheney’s comment and defended Musk against any implication that he is “unfamiliar” with U.S. history.

“He is an American by choice instead of by birth, which is a weird thing to insult someone over, but more importantly, he didn’t commit so many crimes against the country that he had to be pardoned by Joe Biden, so he’s got that going for him,” Federalist Editor-in-Chief Mollie Hemingway posted on X.

“You care more about illegals coming to this country stealing from this country than @elon giving to this country,” former Georgia state Rep. Vernon Jones posted on X.

“Ya, but he was around when your daddy was making the military industrial complex billions sending me and my buddies to die chasing the ghosts of WMDs in Iraq,” Fox News contributor Joey Jones posted on X.

WHO IS SAMANTHA POWER? MEET THE BIDEN-ERA USAID LEADER FACING BACKLASH AMID MUSK’S DOGE CRACKDOWN

The flag of the U.S. Agency for International Development flies in front of its office in Washington, D.C., Monday, Feb. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

“Love the anti-immigrant sentiment from Liz,” Right Turn Strategies President Chris Barron posted on X. “Funny how they always end up being everything they claim their opponents are.”

“The fact Elon said a single word and was able to set you off tells me a lot, Liz,” Twitchy.com editor Samantha Janney posted on X. “What’s also revealing is your connection to USAID. Damn proud of WY for firing you.”

“What a xenophobe,” Breitbart senior editor Joel Pollak posted on X. “Pure bigotry.”

“From Liz Cheney to Barack Obama, a lot of people still don’t appreciate how much of America’s political aristocracy class grew up in USAID families,” Benz posted on X earlier this week.

The online debate about Cheney’s time at USAID comes after Musk’s DOGE efforts have resulted in the agency being effectively shut down over what the Trump administration argues is wasteful spending.

“For decades, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has been unaccountable to taxpayers as it funnels massive sums of money to the ridiculous — and, in many cases, malicious — pet projects of entrenched bureaucrats, with next-to-no oversight,” the White House said Monday.

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Vice President Kamala Harris campaigns with former Rep. Liz Cheney on Oct. 21, 2024, in Brookfield, Wisconsin. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

The future of USAID remains unclear, though the doors to its headquarters were closed Monday, and thousands of employees across the globe sat waiting to hear whether they still had jobs after the apparent Musk takeover.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has been named the acting director, and he agreed Monday with the White House that the agency needed an overhaul.

“The president made me the acting administrator,” he told Fox News. “I’ve delegated that power to someone who is there full time, and we’re going to go through the same process at USAID as we’re going through now at the State Department.”

Fox News Digital’s Caitlin McFall contributed to this report

Andrew Mark Miller is a reporter at Fox News. Find him on Twitter @andymarkmiller and email tips to [email protected].

February 6, 2025
Liz Cheney to Elon Musk regarding her past work at USAID: ‘Damn Right’

Former Rep. Liz Cheney emphatically acknowledged her past work for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) when responding to a tweet by Elon Musk.

Musk, who is spearheading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) effort to slash government waste and fraud, has the agency in his crosshairs.

“Interesting,” Musk wrote in response to a post in which Mike Benz, founder and executive director of the Foundation for Freedom Online, said Cheney had been “spawned out of USAID.” Benz shared a screenshot from an article that said Cheney had worked at the agency.

“Damn right, @Elon. I’m proud of what America did to win the Cold War, defeat Soviet communism, and defend democracy. Our nation stood for freedom. You may be unfamiliar with that part of our history since you weren’t yet an American citizen,” Cheney declared when retweeting Musk.

USAID STAFFERS STUNNED, ANGERED BY TRUMP ADMIN’S DOGE SHUTDOWN OF $40B AGENCY

Left: Former Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., appears on “Meet the Press” in Washington D.C., Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024; Right: Elon Musk arrives to the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 20, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (Left: William B. Plowman/NBC via Getty Images; Right: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Benz shared screenshots of Cheney’s post and of Musk’s post, and wrote, “‘Damn right I was spawned out of USAID.’ – Liz Cheney.”

“No kidding,” Musk replied when retweeting Benz.

President Donald Trump shared a screenshot of Musk’s post on Truth Social.

The Biographical Directory of the United States Congress notes that Cheney was a staffer at USAID from 1989-1992.

She was one of the 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump in the wake of the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol riot.

BIDEN AWARDS LIZ CHENEY, JAN 6 COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN A MEDAL: US ‘IS BETTER BECAUSE OF THEIR DEDICATION’

Former Vice President Kamala Harris, speaks with former U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., at a town hall at the Royal Oak Music Theatre on Oct. 21, 2024, in Royal Oak, Mich. (Sarah Rice/Getty Images)

Last year she endorsed, and even campaigned with, former Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential candidate who lost to Trump.

During her congressional tenure, Cheney served on the House Select Committee that probed the Jan. 6 episode.

President Joe Biden, who awarded Cheney the Presidential Citizens Medal, pardoned lawmakers and staffers who served on the committee out of concern that they could be targeted in “politically motivated prosecutions.”

WHAT IS USAID AND WHY IS IT IN TRUMP’S CROSSHAIRS?

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During a recent X spaces, Musk said that unlike an apple contaminated by a worm, USAID is “a bowl of worms.”

“There is no apple,” he said. “It’s beyond repair.”

Alex Nitzberg is a writer for Fox News Digital.

February 6, 2025