GOP senator announces ‘DOGE Acts’ to back Musk, Ramaswamy government cost-cutting objectives


Sen. Marsha Blackburn will roll out a package of legislation backing up Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) objectives, as Republican lawmakers launch legislative efforts to rally behind the cost-cutting efforts. 

The Tennessee Republican announced her plans to unveil the “DOGE Acts” in a post on X, formerly Twitter, on Thursday. They would seek to move federal agencies out of Washington, D.C., freeze federal hiring and salaries for one year, and get federal workers back in the office.

The GOP senator will reportedly unveil a series of measures that will mirror more of the framework being pushed by the new agency to cut government spending, according to the senators’ spokesperson.

“I will be introducing legislation that coincides with @DOGE’s plan to make the federal government more efficient,” Blackburn said in a post on X. 

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Blackburn in February 2024

Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., blasted President Biden’s Title IX expansion, saying the administration continues its assault on opportunities for young women.  (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc.)

“My DOGE Act will freeze federal hiring, begin the process to relocate agencies out of the D.C. swamp, and establish a merit-based salary system for the federal workforce,” Blackburn said. 

A spokesperson for the senator later revealed that she plans to announce several of these bills.

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“Senator Blackburn is planning to introduce a package of bills – known as the DOGE Acts – aimed at holding the federal government more accountable for managing taxpayer dollars next week,” Blackburn’s spokesperson said in a statement, the Hill reported. “The DOGE Acts coincides with Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy’s plan to make the federal government more efficient.”

Vivek Ramaswamy arrives to meet with lawmakers on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024. 

Vivek Ramaswamy arrives to meet with lawmakers on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024.  (Al Drago)

Musk responded to the senator’s tweet, writing “thank you” in a post.

The announcement came after Musk and Ramaswamy, the pair appointed by President-elect Donald Trump to lead the efforts, spent the day meeting with lawmakers to discuss cost-cutting opportunities and objectives.

Lawmakers told Fox News Digital that they were “very impressed” with the DOGE framework following their meetings with the duo.

Donald Trump and Elon Musk

President-elect Donald Trump and Elon Musk watch the launch of the sixth test flight of the SpaceX Starship rocket on Nov. 19, 2024, in Brownsville, Texas. (Brandon Bell)

Along with Blackburn’s legislative plans, Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, chair of the Senate’s DOGE Caucus, unveiled a 60-page cost-cutting proposal during a meeting with GOP senators and Ramaswamy on Thursday.

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The DOGE efforts have already gained bipartisan support from Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla., joining the House’s GOP-led congressional caucus. Ahead of the meeting with Congress, Musk was asked whether he wanted Democratic members to be part of DOGE conversations, to which he was heard answering, “Yes.”



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