A Republican lawmaker in a MAGA-friendly district is calling on Elon Musk to back off the weekly rounds of mass firings and other sweeping changes inside the federal government sparked by the tech billionaire’s Department of Government Efficiency that has wreaked havoc on government workers nationwide.
Rep. Rich McCormick (R-GA) – one of a handful of GOP lawmakers who found themselves at the center of hostile town halls – made the comments Wednesday as House Republicans prepared to meet with Musk.
But McCormick was already armed with a message for the DOGE head, who has sparked outrage for the unprecedented power President Donald Trump single-handedly granted him as he swept into office in January.
“If he just takes a half-step back we’ll do something that I think can be compassionate,” McCormick told a CNN reporter Wednesday. “At the same time, something that is impactful when it comes to saving America’s money that’s hard-earned and hard spent.”
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When pressed on what he meant by “half-step back,” McCormick responded by saying that Musk has “admitted to things.”
“He said, ‘Look, we’re doing some things wrong but we’re learning,” McCormick added.
Musk admitted during Trump’s first cabinet meeting last week that DOGE accidentally canceled Ebola prevention funding to the U.S. Agency for International Development – a snafu he said was corrected “very quickly.”
But that claim was later disputed by current and former officials inside the agency.
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GOP Rep. Rich McCormick, who encountered testy townhalls over DOGE cuts and firings, said he has some advice for Elon Musk ahead of meeting with House GOP tonight.
"If he just takes a half-step back, we'll do something that I think can be compassionate, at the same time something… pic.twitter.com/ohwV9XFDLM
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) March 5, 2025