Ro Khanna: This Is Where Democrats Can Work With Elon Musk’s DOGE To Cut Spending
On “Forbes Newsroom,” Congressman Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) discussed possible areas of agreement for government reform between Democrats and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), spearheaded by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy.
Khanna pointed to the Department of Defense as a place to cut spending and save taxpayer money, an idea supported by Musk and Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), a top Khanna ally.
“Defense contractors are fleecing the American people,” the California Democrat told Forbes. “Over 56% of the discretionary budget is defense. And we have had 60 minutes reports and so many journalistic reports of the American taxpayers paying 1,000% more for a part supplied or sold to the Department of Defense than if it was sold to a different federal agency.”
Khanna also called to probe the federal government for possible cuts, while pointing to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau–which has been a target of Republicans–as an ally in the broader effort to save taxpayer money.
“We need to make sure that we're standing up for agencies that are for the American people and saving money and really going after waste, fraud, and abuse.”
Khanna, who says he has known Musk for over a decade, has defended Musk in recent weeks, slamming Tesla’s exclusion from California EV credits and warning his fellow Democrats not to quit X. He described his relationship with the world’s richest man as “very candid,” with areas of disagreement such as Tesla worker unionization.