U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Northwest Ga., led a “War on Waste” hearing Wednesday at the first meeting of the House Oversight DOGE Subcommittee. The hearing discussed allegedly improper payments by the federal government and fraud, including Medicaid and Medicare.
The congresswoman began by denouncing the $36 trillion national debt and its compounding interest.
“This is not a Democrat problem. This is not a Republican problem,” Greene said. “This is an American problem.”
Greene said the interest on the debt pays masters who own the nation’s debt and that the American people are in debt slavery.
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U.S. Rep. Melanie Stansbury, a New Mexico Democrat, chimed in and said Democrats are ready to roll up their sleeves and work across the aisle on DOGE, or the Department of Government Efficiency. Stansbury said the federal government has made $236 billion in annual improper payments and said the legislators need to get to the bottom of it.
Some of Stansbury’s Democratic colleagues did not take the same approach, speaking out against DOGE chief Elon Musk at the subcommittee and describing DOGE’s agenda as a way of robbing the federal government or using it to serve the wealthy.
Following heated criticism of DOGE, U.S. Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Knoxville, addressed the group. He said people are defending waste, fraud and abuse when they squeal and don’t ask questions.
“The gravy train for a lot of these folks has been on biscuit wheels,” Burchett said, “and it’s about to run off the dadgum tracks.”
Contact Sarah Dolgin at sdolgin@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6556.