DOGE sets sights first on ‘low-hanging fruit’ of government waste, fraud and abuse

Vivek Ramaswamy said Wednesday that the Department of Government Efficiency’s initial focus will be weeding out the “low-hanging fruit” of waste, fraud and abuse across the federal government — not recommending ways to overhaul entitlement programs, the biggest drivers of federal spending and the national debt.

Still, Mr. Ramaswamy, who will co-lead DOGE with Elon Musk, said the group will seek to ensure that the entitlement programs are working as efficiently as possible in their current form.

“It’s irresponsible to begin a discussion around cutting entitlements before we’ve actually rung all of that waste and all of that excess error out of the system,” Mr. Ramaswamy said during an appearance at the Aspen Institute in Washington.

DOGE has seized Washington’s attention since President-elect Donald Trump announced the creation of the special commission and put the two firebrand entrepreneurs in charge of it.

The prospect of DOGE fast-tracking cuts to the federal bureaucracy has energized small government and taxpayer advocates who have spent years sounding the alarm on government inefficiency and needing to be more responsible with taxpayer dollars.

Mr. Ramaswamy estimated that “waste, fraud, abuse, error, or program integrity issues” account for roughly half a trillion dollars in misused taxpayer dollars.

He said DOGE will look to ensure the executive branch follows the law and suggested that “basic modernization” of the government’s software and technology could help “improve the effectiveness in which the taxpayer dollar is actually spent.”

“It’s some of the smaller items that you can move more quickly but add up to be pretty big when you add them all up together,” he said. “That’s the kind of thing that we view as in scope for driving major change in a relatively short period of time.”

Mr. Ramaswamy said that if the commission does its job well, it could help lay the groundwork for Congress to consider proposed changes to Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security — including raising the retirement age and means-testing benefits.

Those decisions are ultimately a “policy decision that belongs with voters” and the people they elect to Congress, he said.

Lawmakers could get more clarity on DOGE’s plans Thursday when House Speaker Mike Johnson holds joint meetings with Mr. Musk and Mr. Ramaswamy and members of Congress.

Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa launched a Senate DOGE caucus last month, vowing to “carry out critical oversight in Congress and use our legislative force to fight against the entrenched bureaucracy, trim the fat, and get Washington back to work for Americans.”

Reps. Aaron Bean of Florida and Pete Sessions of Texas spearhead the House effort.

DOGE also has received some early bipartisan buy-in from some familiar faces on Capitol Hill.

Florida Rep. Jared Moskowitz announced this week that he was joining the newly minted DOGE caucus, making him the first Democrat to join the group.

“I believe that streamlining government processes and reducing ineffective government spending should not be a partisan issue,” Mr. Moskowitz said. “I’ve been clear there are ways we can recognize our government to make it work better for the American people.”

Mr. Moskowitz said the Department of Homeland Security has “gotten too big.” He suggested splitting the Secret Service and FEMA into independent agencies that report directly to the White House.

Meanwhile, Sen. Bernard Sanders, a Vermont independent, has urged DOGE to focus on the $886 billion Pentagon budget. He says the department has failed multiple audits and “lost track of billions” of taxpayer dollars.

“That must change,” Mr. Sanders said on social media.

Rep. Ro Khanna, a California Democrat, also says he is willing to work with the group on specific areas.