Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders has agreed with Elon Musk’s criticism of U.S. defense spending. Sanders, a Democrat, took to X (formerly Twitter) to express his concerns about the Biden administration’s high defense budget.
“Elon Musk is right. The Pentagon, with a budget of $886 billion, just failed its 7th audit in a row. It’s lost track of billions,” Sanders posted. He added, “Last year, only 13 senators voted against the Military Industrial Complex and a defense budget full of waste and fraud. That must change.”
Elon Musk is right.
The Pentagon, with a budget of $886 billion, just failed its 7th audit in a row. It’s lost track of billions.
Last year, only 13 senators voted against the Military Industrial Complex and a defense budget full of waste and fraud.
That must change.
— Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) December 1, 2024
Trump’s New Initiative
Recently, President-elect Donald Trump appointed Musk and biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy to lead the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). This temporary department aims to reduce waste, cut excess regulations, and restructure federal agencies.
Support for Cutting Waste
During an interview, Democratic Representative Ro Khanna suggested that Democrats might work with Musk’s DOGE to reduce defense spending. He criticized the government for “waste, fraud, and abuse” in the defense budget and noted that the Department of Defense had failed several audits.
Khanna posted on X, saying, “When it comes to cutting waste, fraud, and abuse and opening the 5 primes to more competition, there are Democrats on [House Armed Services Committee] who will work with @elonmusk and @DOGE.”
Musk agreed with Khanna, replying with “Cool.”
Trump’s Vision for DOGE
Trump stated that DOGE would work alongside the White House Office of Management and Budget to provide advice from outside the government. He called it a potential “Manhattan Project” of our time, aligning with long-held Republican objectives.
The White House and the Department of Defense have not yet commented on the matter.
