House Republican: Musk should take 'a half step back' on DOGE cuts

Rep. Rich McCormick (R-Ga.) said billionaire Elon Musk should take a “half step back” as the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) takes steps to reduce the size of the federal workforce and eliminate so-called wasteful government spending.

In a brief interview with CNN’s Manu Raju on Wednesday — shortly before Musk was slated to meet with House Republicans — McCormick told Raju he had some advice for Musk before the meeting.

“If he just takes a half step back, we’ll do something that I think can be compassionate, at the same time, something that’s impactful, when it comes to saving Americans money,” McCormick said.

Raju pressed McCormick to explain what he means by a “half step back.”

“He’s admitted to things,” McCormick said about Musk. “He said, ‘Look, we’re doing some things wrong, but we’re learning.’”

McCormick is among the Republican lawmakers who have faced significant public pushback from constituents who are upset about the Musk-inspired DOGE cuts.

At a town hall meeting last month, McCormick faced tough questions about government layoffs. McCormick’s district is not far from the headquarters for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which has seen several hundred employee layoffs.

Republican senators also met with Musk on Wednesday and told him that his aggressive moves to shrink the federal government will need a vote on Capitol Hill.

Senate Budget Committee Chair Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said there’s broad desire within the Senate GOP conference for a vote on DOGE’s recommended cuts.

“Yes, yes, 100 percent, and we should be doing it, like, yesterday,” Graham said.

“You could do regulatory reform without us, but anything that doesn’t fit within [budget] reconciliation has to be done through rescissions,” he added.