“Every taxpayer should be happy with what DOGE has accomplished thus far,” Rep. Buddy Carter (R-GA) said, adding that he does not have any concerns about the cuts DOGE is implementing.

Rep. Glenn Grothman (R-WI) said DOGE could be doing even more, particularly at the Department of Defense. 

“Congress, over a period of years, is kind of stuck in the mud, always buying the same type of equipment they did in the past and really preparing to fight the last war. Things have changed since aircraft carriers were so important in, say, World War II and we have way too many non uniform personnel at the Pentagon,” Grothman said.

“I’m really looking forward to Elon Musk updating our military spending,” he added. 

Rep. Jack Bergman (R-MI) echoed Grothman’s concerns about spending at the Defense Department.

“We’re just getting started. Remember, I came out of the Department of Defense, so I’ve got notes and folders from 25 years ago of where I thought we could do better within the Department of Defense,” said the retired Marine lieutenant general, adding that “DOGE is a great place to start, and let the DOGE people do it because that allows the president and the rest of us to focus on what we’re supposed to be doing and let them do the uncovering.”

Their push for more cuts comes as some Republicans have been facing constituents in town hall meetings who are angry about Musk’s moves in the federal government. National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Richard Hudson (R-NC) told members Tuesday that they should stop holding in-person town halls, instead suggesting they hold more tele-halls and live events on social media to avoid operatives and activists.

Republicans faced a similar issue during the first administration, and some Democratic activists have made it a priority this year to organize attendance at town halls to chastise members over their support of Musk, numerous Trump executive orders, and the GOP budget process.

In an effort to shrink the federal workforce and cut costs, the Trump administration and DOGE have laid off thousands of workers across the government, canceled federal contracts, dismantled agencies like USAID, and secured early retirement for about 75,000 federal employees.

Democrats have argued that Trump and Musk are overstepping executive authority, but some Republicans argue that Congress will have a “complete role” in the final DOGE cuts — especially when it comes to the appropriations process.

Government funding expires on March 14 and appropriators are expecting a year-long continuing resolution, or CR, to finish out fiscal year 2025. But negotiations have stalled as Democrats push for restrictions on Musk’s DOGE and Republicans say it’s a non-starter. Without a deal, the government could enter a shutdown, which would halt some services and furlough nonessential employees.

A group of conservative lawmakers led by Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) and House Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Harris (R-MD) wrote a letter to Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) warning that they should reject any deal that would “dilute the President’s constitutional authority to save taxpayer dollars.”

Johnson has called for a measure “to freeze funding at current levels, to make sure that the government can stay open while we begin to incorporate all these savings that we’re finding through the DOGE effort and these other sources of revenue that President Trump’s policies are bringing to the table.”

The signers, who have typically been opposed to CRs, are willing to back a “clean” short-term spending bill until September to avoid a government shutdown if they keep Democrats’ request for restricting Trump’s authority is denied.

“When DOGE gets in and they highlight all this waste, there’s going to be a little bit of people having to come to Jesus now, and actually deliver and say, ‘Look, we’ve been running on reducing spending now. Let’s actually follow through and get it done,’” said Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX), an HFC member who did not sign onto the letter but has been vocal about including DOGE cuts in spending discussions.

But, given that a handful of GOP lawmakers have said they are a “no” on any CR, Republicans will need some Democratic support to push a spending deal over the finish line given their razor-thin majority.

Some Republicans are looking forward to inserting the DOGE cuts into appropriations for fiscal 2026, particularly those who wanted to pass the spending bills last December but instead had to vote for another continuing resolution that kicked the deadline to March.

“The FY 26 appropriations will look vastly different,” Rep. Stephanie Bice (R-OK), who sits on the Appropriations Committee, said. “It will be President Trump’s priorities, not the former administration.”

Democrats have pitched Musk as an unelected billionaire who is too close to taxpayers’ personal information, which some Republicans think is hypocritical.

“I know there’s lots of people who say, ‘Well, you know, he’s unelected,’” Rep. Jeff Crank (R-CO) said. “Well, you know, Dr. [Anthony] Fauci was unelected, and the same people that are complaining now about Elon Musk didn’t seem to have much concern about Dr. Fauci when he was doing a lot of things in the administration.”

Crank added that he is “perfectly happy” with DOGE looking to find cuts, but he noted that he believes there is a role for Congress in this process. Once Musk and his team have recommendations, that’s when Crank believes lawmakers should step in and take cover to make them law.

“We’re $36 trillion in debt,” Crank said. “We can’t keep going the way that we are. We’ve got to find cuts, and part of that is efficiency. That’s better to go find efficiencies in a program, than to cut that program to beneficiaries. And so that’s what DOGE is trying to do. We all ought to welcome that and see how we can help.”

Not all Republicans are throwing their full support behind the DOGE cuts and layoffs to federal workers, particularly Virginia GOP lawmakers whose districts include many employees of the government. 

Rep. Jen Kiggans (R-VA) sent a letter to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth asking him to limit layoffs for veterans within the department on Monday, expressing concern that the journey to find and eliminate waste could unintentionally harm a key group that Republicans and Trump have vowed to protect.

“We all understand the overarching goal, where we’re going to: again, downsizing, cutting spending. But how are we getting there? And I think there’s just some places to provide a gentle reminder along the way that, please look out for our veterans,” Kiggans said.

APPROPRIATORS PLAY BLAME GAME OVER SPENDING TALKS AS FUNDING EXPIRES NEXT WEEK

As a nurse practitioner, Kiggans said she wants to protect Veterans Affairs hospitals and the nurses, positions she and other lawmakers have fought to obtain and are now in danger of being nullified due to layoffs in each department. She’s advocating “minor tweaks” to DOGE’s process, understanding the concerns the rapid-fire decisions are causing.

“Someone said it best the other day about, we should measure twice and cut once. … I think we need to be mindful of who’s getting that message,” Kiggans added.

Marisa Schultz contributed to this report.