The House subcommittee overseeing the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) convened its first major hearing on Wednesday, with Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) leading the effort to examine government waste.

However, the session quickly devolved into a partisan clash as Democrats took aim at DOGE’s leader, Elon Musk, and President Donald Trump’s push to streamline federal agencies.

Early in the hearing, Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA) attempted to mock Greene by referencing her past decision to display explicit photos of Hunter Biden during a 2023 House Oversight Committee hearing.

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“In the last Congress, Chairwoman Greene literally showed a d*ck pic in an Oversight Congressional hearing. So I thought I’d bring one as well,” Garcia said before unveiling a large image of Musk.

“Now this, of course, we know, is President Elon Musk,” he continued, referring to Musk’s role in heading DOGE under Trump’s administration.

Garcia went on to accuse Musk of engaging in “a power grab… abided by and encouraged by Donald Trump” and criticized his wealth and political influence.

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Despite the disruptions, Greene pressed forward with the hearing’s focus, emphasizing the need to address federal spending inefficiencies.

“The American people are in debt slavery to everyone who owns our debt… it will destroy all of us,” Greene said in her opening remarks.

She blamed both Congress and past presidential administrations for excessive government spending, stating, “I believe enslaving our nation in debt is one of the biggest betrayals against the American people by its own elected government.”

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As the hearing progressed, Democrats repeatedly attacked Musk’s role in DOGE and Trump’s efforts to restructure federal agencies.

“People said they were upset about TikTok, but I’m upset about the guy who runs Twitter, who for sure is doing nefarious things!” Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) exclaimed.

Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, speaks during the first day of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center. The DNC program will feature President Joe Biden and Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton during Monday’s ceremonies.

“It is time for us to do our jobs and rein in this rogue actor known as Elon Musk,” she added.

House Oversight Committee Chairman Gerry Connolly (D-VA) also pushed back against Trump’s government efficiency initiative, calling it “a wrecking ball” that was not the right approach to tackling waste, fraud, and abuse in federal agencies.

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“A wrecking ball is not going to do it. And we’re not going to support that approach to waste, fraud, and abuse in the federal government,” Connolly declared.

Republicans, however, countered the Democrats’ claims by refocusing on allegations of financial mismanagement in the federal government.

“We are uncovering what could be the biggest money laundering scandal in American history,” Rep. Brandon Gill (R-TX) said. “And the other side of the aisle could care less… all they want to talk about [is] Elon Musk incessantly.”

Democrats called in Dylan Hedtler-Gaudette, Director of Government Affairs at the Project on Government Oversight, to argue against DOGE’s proposed policies. Hedtler-Gaudette, who suffers from type-2 Usher syndrome and is blind, warned that Trump’s decision to fire over a dozen inspectors general could hurt government accountability.

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“It completely undermines our ability to root out waste, fraud, and abuse,” he stated.

He also argued that improper government payments are not always due to corruption, explaining, “Sometimes improper payments are a function of bad record-keeping, sometimes they are a function of outdated technology systems.”

Meanwhile, Republican witnesses reinforced the scale of the problem, urging lawmakers to act.

“If this much fraud has been exposed in a few weeks, imagine what else is buried under layers of red tape and government excuses,” said Stewart Whitson, senior director of Federal Affairs at the Foundation for Government Accountability.

He suggested that “Congress can support the president in carrying out his DOGE effort by making all executive branch employees at will, codifying the president’s authority to fire unproductive or insubordinate agency employees as needed.”

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Haywood Talcove, CEO of LexisNexis Risk Solutions, pointed to outdated government technology and red tape as major obstacles to financial oversight.

“They’re using very dated technology,” Talcove said.

“One of the things I think has to happen is the simplification of these processes and systems, and then just use the technology that we use every day in the private sector.”

As the hearing wrapped up, Greene indicated that her subcommittee would release a report in the coming months outlining legislative solutions to tackle government waste.

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Republican leaders are also working to formalize elements of Musk and Trump’s DOGE initiative into law, anticipating legal challenges to the effort in the courts.

With both parties deeply divided over the issue, the fight over government inefficiency is expected to continue as Congress debates the future of federal spending reforms.

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