- The Washington Times - Thursday, November 21, 2024

House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer plans to put Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene in charge of a subcommittee that will work closely with President-elect Donald Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency.

The subcommittee, led by Ms. Greene, Georgia Republican, will investigate waste and fraud in government spending and coordinate with DOGE leaders Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy.

The committee also will examine ways to reorganize federal agencies, improve efficiency and cut red tape. Lawmakers have already met with Mr. Ramaswamy, according to a person familiar with the plan.

Fox News Digital first reported on the subcommittee’s creation.

The oversight panel’s portfolio includes the federal civil service and the status of U.S. officers and employees. Mr. Comer, Kentucky Republican, plans to create additional subcommittees in the coming weeks.

The DOGE-related panel is notable because it gives Ms. Greene — a vocal Trump ally — a prominent role in enacting Mr. Trump’s agenda.

The subcommittee also links Capitol Hill to Mr. Trump’s DOGE, which will operate as an outside commission but coordinate with the White House Office of Management and Budget.

Mr. Trump has offered scant details about what he wants to cut from the government’s $6.75 trillion annual budget.

Mr. Musk, who vowed to slash $2 trillion in government spending, has suggested eliminating the Education Department, which has an annual budget of about $79 billion, and funding for National Public Radio.

DOGE could recommend caps on certain benefits and reel in certain government subsidies, or heavily slashing the federal workforce.

“The entrenched and ever-growing bureaucracy represents an existential threat to our republic, and politicians have abetted it for too long. That’s why we’re doing things differently,” Mr. Musk and Mr. Ramaswamy wrote in an op-ed for The Wall Street Journal. “Unlike government commissions or advisory committees, we won’t just write reports or cut ribbons. We’ll cut costs.”

• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.

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