Florida Rep. Vern Buchanan (R) has announced his membership in the bipartisan House Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) Caucus. The House DOGE Caucus was created to partner with President-elect Donald Trump's (R) proposed DOGE that will focus on addressing wasteful government spending.
DOGE is co-chaired by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, who have both committed to targeting federal bureaucracy and wasteful government spending during President-elect Trump's time in office.
Republicans have praised the proposed agency, claiming that it will address much needed concerns within the government. Though Democrats have largely scoffed at DOGE and its leadership, Florida Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D) became the first Democrat to join the House DOGE Caucus, suggesting changes within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that should be addressed.
The Democrat congressman cited his background in emergency management as the reason for wanting to join the caucus. Deeming that the DHS "has become too big" he explained last year that "it is 22 agencies, and so I think FEMA needs to be a direct report to the President like it was when it was created."
Republicans have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to rein in wasteful spending and make much-needed cuts to our federal bureaucracy. I'm excited to join the @DOGE Caucus and get to work on making America efficient again! https://t.co/9pwZxqQTz2
— Rep. Vern Buchanan (@VernBuchanan) January 7, 2025
In a statement, Rep. Buchanan commented that "the national debt has surpassed an astounding $36 trillion, yet Congress has not balanced the budget in more than two decades." "The federal government wastes hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars annually," he informed, adding that "federal agencies have reportedly handed out $2.7 trillion in fraudulent, improper payments since 2003 - and that's just the tip of the iceberg."
Noting that the proposed efforts of the DOGE Caucus to "stop the madness" are long overdue, Rep. Buchanan celebrated his membership in the caucus, calling it a "critically important mission."
The House DOGE Caucus is chaired by Florida Rep. Aaron Bean (R), Texas Rep. Pete Sessions (R), and Utah Rep. Blake Moore (R).
Rep. Bean welcomed his congressional colleague on social media, writing that DOGE will "make America more like the free state of Florida!"
Welcome aboard @VernBuchanan! Let's make America more like the free state of Florida! https://t.co/yE6EH1gf7p
— Aaron Bean (@RepAaronBean) January 7, 2025
