Donald Trump's newly built department that aims to slash federal funding is set for implosion as the president-elect throws together a pair of 'ticking time bombs," a reporter predicted Tuesday.
With Elon Musk and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) working side-by-side, the Department of Government Efficiency will devolve into "crazy town," said The New Republic's Greg Sargent in his Wednesday New Republic "Daily Blast" rundown.
The new government agency, headed by Tesla CEO Musk and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, is tasked with sifting through the entire federal government to find drastic cuts. On the congressional side, a matching committee is being set up to work with the executive branch on the cuts.
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has named Greene to head the congressional side.
"What could give MAGA a bigger thrill than that high-wattage duo?" asked Greg Sargent in his Wednesday New Republic "Daily Blast" rundown.
Also Read: ‘MIA MTG’: Why Marjorie Taylor Greene has no publicly listed district offices
Last month, Greene was ridiculed for being named to the position despite having a sporadic congressional attendance.
"This is good, actually," Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) wrote on X. "She barely shows up and doesn’t do the reading. To borrow a phrase I saw elsewhere, 'It’s like giving someone an unplugged controller.'"
A Politico report said some Republicans quietly fear that "Greene’s involvement could become a major distraction for the Trump-GOP agenda," said Sargent. He noted that "distraction" in Washington speak means "disaster."
Sargent then interviewed tech writer Gil Duran, who has been a "close observer of Musk’s machinations."
Duran said he thinks Musk intends to use the opportunity to "gain attention. On a daily basis, Elon Musk has to be the center of attention at all times."
The goal is to cut one-third of the federal budget, which is approximately $2 trillion. Duran said doing so means making sweeping changes to programs people need and want. When many Americans begin to feel the effects of the cuts, it will become a political problem for those in the House and Senate.
"I think he sees government as a butterfly he can pull the wings off," said Duran. "I think he'll find it's a lot more complicated and dangerous than that."
As for Greene, Duran called her a "ticking time bomb," which is a problem because Musk, he said, is the same.
"I think the first thing that tells me about DOGE is that it's going to be crazy town," Duran continued. "Greene has no filter and no standards, and Musk and Trump are trying to make this as outrageous as possible with little concern for public opinions. So Marjorie Taylor Greene being included is like throwing gasoline on a fire."
