Elon Musk is attracting (preliminary) bipartisan interest on his way to Capitol Hill

Republicans will celebrate Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy at a rally on Capitol Hill on Thursday, but there are also signs that the pair’s out-of-state Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is drawing political interest.

“One of the encouraging things about the emergence of DOGE is how nonpartisan and even apolitical the interest in this mission has been,” Ramaswamy said Wednesday afternoon during an appearance at the Aspen Security Forum ahead of his scheduled stop on Capitol Hill today.

Ramaswamy was speaking primarily about business leaders who he said are flooding his inbox, but it could also be applied to at least some residents of Capitol Hill.

“Elon Musk is right,” Sen. Bernie Sanders wrote earlier this week in reference to cutting military spending.

“Reducing ineffective government spending should not be a partisan issue,” added Rep. Jared Moskowitz, a Florida Democrat who became the first Democrat to join the now bipartisan House DOGE Caucus.

But for today at least, the focus will be on GOP members who welcomed and invited Tesla (TSLA) CEO and Ramaswamy to a discussion where Republican lawmakers are expected to exchange ideas for cuts with the two billionaires.

Senator Bernie Sanders and Tesla CEO Elon Musk. (Images from Getty Images)

The expressions of interest from both parties come as both parties have been fighting government waste for years, particularly on programs they disliked in the first place.

Another DOGE-curious Democrat is Rep. Ro Khanna, who also pointed to the U.S. military as an area where cuts should be made in several interviews this week, telling Forbes that “defense contractors are fleecing the American people.”

In addition to his DOGE comments, Khanna also criticized California’s recent decision to exclude Tesla from electric vehicle tax credits, which earned him praise from Musk, who called him a “sensible moderate.”

Senator Sanders, a Vermont independent who caucuses with Democrats, also focused on the military in his post, echoing Musk and Ramaswamy, who often point out that the Pentagon recently failed its seventh consecutive audit.

The back-and-forth has led Musk to even follow Sen. Sanders on X, but agreement may be limited in broader areas.

Sanders has long been a supporter of expanding government in other areas and often advocates raising taxes to cover the deficit, a non-starter for most Republicans.

Sanders also posted this weekend: “We must defeat the oligarchs,” a sentiment Musk is unlikely to echo.

Likewise, both Sanders and Khanna are supporters of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, an agency that Musk recently sought to “delete.”

UNITED STATES – JULY 25: Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla., is seen outside the U.S. Capitol after the final votes before the August recess on Thursday, July 25, 2024. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images) — Rep. Jared Moskowitz, a Florida Democrat, spoke at the U.S. Capitol in July. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images) · Tom Williams via Getty Images

As for Congressman Moskowitz, he announced his intention to join forces with Republicans on DOGE to highlight a particular issue: his push to dismantle the Department of Homeland Security.

“It is not practical to have 22 agencies under this one department,” Moskowitz said in a statement. “I look forward to working with my colleagues in a bipartisan manner to remove FEMA and the Secret Service from DHS” and make them independent agencies.

In any case, the new group of Musk and Ramaswamy have set an ambitious agenda for the coming years.

House Speaker Mike Johnson said in announcing the meeting last week that today’s session would be about “discussing big reform ideas to achieve regulatory repeals, administrative reductions and cost savings – and revitalize the principle of limited government!” “

Experts have questioned how many of these plans DOGE will ultimately be able to implement, particularly in areas such as cutting regulations as well as Musk’s promise to cut “at least $2 trillion” from the annual federal budget.

“While I wish Elon Musk and (Vivek) Ramaswamy good luck in finding greater efficiency in the federal government,” Isabel Sawhill, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institute, said in an appearance this week, “it probably won’t save much money, it unless the president-elect abandons his promise not to cut Social Security or Medicare.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - OCTOBER 27: Vivek Ramaswamy addresses Republican presidential candidate former US President Donald Trump as he takes the stage at the campaign rally at Madison Square Garden on October 27, 2024 in New York City. Trump wrapped up his campaign weekend in New York City with a guest list of speakers that included his Republican vice presidential nominee, U.S. Senator JD Vance (R-OH), Tesla CEO Elon Musk, UFC CEO Dana White and House Speakers, among other speakers Mike Johnson (R-LA), nine days before Election Day. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images) — Vivek Ramaswamy speaks at a rally before Donald Trump took the stage at Madison Square Garden in New York City in October. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images) · Anna Moneymaker via Getty Images

She is co-author of a current plan to equalize government spending through tax cuts and tax increases. It points out that 87% of government spending growth in the coming decade is expected to come from these “entitlement” programs as well as interest on U.S. debt.

“There’s not much else going on,” she said.

For his part, Ramaswamy on Wednesday appeared to be trying to shift the focus of his efforts away from simply reducing deficits.

He used Wednesday’s appearance to argue that looking solely at DOGE as a means of deficit reduction “understates the impact we’re hoping for,” arguing instead that his No. 1 measure of success is increased GDP growth will be.

“I hope that our success is therefore not a partisan victory, but something that goes beyond traditional politics,” he later added.

Ben Werschkul is a Washington correspondent for Yahoo Finance.

Every Friday, Yahoo Finance’s Rachelle Akuffo, Rick NewmanAnd Ben Werschkul give you unique insight into how U.S. politics and government impact your bottom line at Capitol Gains. Watch or listen to Capitol Gains Apple Podcasts, Spotifyor wherever you find your favorite podcasts.

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Elon Musk is attracting (preliminary) bipartisan interest on his way to Capitol Hill

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