Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) thinks the Department of Government Efficiency is nothing but a corrupt wolf in sheep’s clothing.
The Democratic lawmaker discussed her role on the House Oversight Committee and why she believes President Donald Trump’s unelected cost-cutting task force is a “scam” during an appearance on “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” on Tuesday night.
Crockett explained how her committee was already tasked with sniffing out “waste, fraud and abuse” and ensuring government accountability long before Elon Musk’s budget-slashing initiative arrived in Washington.
“There was already a DOGE and it was you guys?” host Colbert asked, before pointing out that members of the Oversight Committee are actually elected officials, unlike the members of DOGE.
The congresswoman then said, “DOGE is nothing but a cover-up. It’s a scam.”
When Colbert asked her to elaborate, the Texas politician described the operation as a thinly veiled scheme designed to benefit Musk.
Bill Clark via Getty Images
While Crockett understood how the project may appear to be doing “good” on the surface, she argued it was “really just a matter of a bad guy coming in and saying, ‘Hey, I want this contract, this contract, that contract.’”
“‘Yes, I have a conflict of interest but no worries,’” she continued. “And, ‘Oh, while I’m at it, let me fire this person who has this many investigation they’re looking into for Tesla, this person who has this many investigations that they’re looking into for SpaceX. Let me save myself some money while also enriching myself of the same time.’”
“It was a complete sham,” Crockett said. “This was never about government efficiency.”
Pointing to a department she believes is truly riddled with waste, she argued that efficiency hounds should be scrutinizing the Department of Defense instead of trying to boost its budget to $1 trillion.
“They have not been able to pass an audit in the last seven audits,” she reminded viewers.
“Not a lot of efficiency,” Colbert remarked.
Bloomberg via Getty Images
After Trump assumed office in January, DOGE embarked on its mission with reckless abandon, slashing federal agencies, canceling contracts indiscriminately, forcing tens of thousands of federal workers out of jobs and pressuring agencies like the Social Security Administration and Internal Revenue Service to hand over highly sensitive data.
But the project has also been accused of inflating its savings statistics, and after struggling to achieve its audacious $2 trillion budget-busting goal, it scaled back its target to $150 billion in April.
Though Musk initially spearheaded the agency, he is no longer its top dog. Late last month, the billionaire announced he would be “significantly” cutting back his time in D.C. to focus on his other businesses.
Stand With UsAgainstCensorship
Your SupportFuelsOur Mission
Your SupportFuelsOur Mission
The Trump administration is cracking down on free speech and targeting the media. Become a member now to protect the truth before it’s erased.
We Won’t Back Down
We remain committed to providing you with the unflinching, fact-based journalism everyone deserves.
Thank you again for your support along the way. We’re truly grateful for readers like you! Your initial support helped get us here and bolstered our newsroom, which kept us strong during uncertain times. Now as we continue, we need your help more than ever. We hope you will join us once again.
We remain committed to providing you with the unflinching, fact-based journalism everyone deserves.
Thank you again for your support along the way. We’re truly grateful for readers like you! Your initial support helped get us here and bolstered our newsroom, which kept us strong during uncertain times. Now as we continue, we need your help more than ever. We hope you will join us once again.
Already contributed? Log in to hide these messages.
Watch the full interview right here:
