Representative Brandon Gill (R-TX) has sent a letter to Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) and Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) urging them to oppose any Democratic resistance to President Donald Trump (R) and Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) initiative. The goal of the initiative is to cut waste and abuse in the federal government.
The letter, which comes as the government funding deadline quickly approaches, was sent alongside a multitude of Rep. Gill's colleagues in the Republican Conference of both chambers. It begins by providing a rationale to defend DOGE and its goals.
"President Trump campaigned on a promise to the American people to reduce the size and scope of the federal government, and his resounding victory last November confirms he has been given a mandate by our constituents to make good on that promise," began Rep. Gill and his colleagues. "His clear message that taxpayers deserve to know not only how their money is being spent, but also that it is being spent responsibly, resonated with voters."
Later in the letter, Gill and his cohorts shared that they are "deeply concerned" with the prospect of Democrats maintaining the "unsustainable status quo" related to DOGE's government spending efforts with the deadline less than two weeks away.
"Rather than negotiating in good faith to find a solution that keeps the government open, we understand that Democrats are insisting that any government funding deal include policy provisions that would tie the hands of the President and prohibit DOGE from continuing their efforts to promote transparency and accountability in government spending," the Republicans wrote. "It has become clear that many Congressional Democrats would prefer a government shutdown rather than even attempt to rein in bloated federal bureaucracies."
The Republicans then told their party leadership that they would not support a funding package that would "be weaponized against President Trump" and that they should reject any effort aimed at diminishing DOGE.
They concluded their correspondence by saying the United States of America cannot allow the left side of the aisle to interfere with Trump and Musk's initiative.
"A bloated federal bureaucracy and unsupervised, unaccountable federal spending have contributed to the existential fiscal threat our country faces, with a $36 trillion national debt growing because of perennial budget deficits. Our country cannot afford to allow Democrats to frustrate President Trump’s work to rein in government spending and bring needed and long-overdue accountability to Washington. We look forward to working with you to resist these attempts, and ensure that the President can continue to deliver on his mandate," the letter concludes.
Senator Rick Scott (R-FL), Representatives Andy Harris (R-MD) and Brandon Gill were joined by Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Ted Budd (R-NC), Ron Johnson (R-WI), Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), Bernie Moreno (R-OH), Mike Lee (R-UT), Eric Schmitt (R-MO), Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), along with Representatives Andy Biggs (R-AZ), Sheri Biggs (R-SC), Clay Higgins (R-LA), Paul Gosar (R-AZ), Andrew Clyde (R-GA), Mark Harris (R-NC), Andy Ogles (R-TN), Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL), Barry Moore (R-AL) and Ralph Norman (R-SC).
