Joco Today

U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D., addressed the Senate today regarding the Senate Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) Caucus and the nation's growing debt. As a founding member of DOGE, he emphasized the burden that wasteful government spending has placed on Americans, contributing to a national debt exceeding $36 trillion.

Senator Marshall proposed reforms aimed at optimizing federal operations, reducing waste, and enforcing fiscal responsibility. "Most every January, hard-working families across this country gather together at a kitchen table, and they work on a budget," he stated. He highlighted Congress's inability to manage finances effectively as a major contributor to the debt crisis.

He cited federal waste, fraud, and mismanagement as significant factors in the current financial situation: "This last fiscal year, the federal government took in $5 trillion but spent $7 trillion… that’s pretty simple math for a deficit of some $2 trillion." The senator pointed out that interest payments on debt have surpassed funding for national defense or Medicare.

Marshall also criticized bureaucratic inefficiencies and lack of accountability within government agencies: "77 million people elected Donald J. Trump to be the president... without any transparency or accountability." He mentioned specific areas of concern including unaccounted Pentagon funds and improper federal payments.

He proposed several solutions such as requiring federal employees to return to office work, decentralizing government functions outside Washington D.C., implementing term limits for political appointees and long-term employees, rolling back energy mandates, cutting subsidies like electric vehicle tax credits, and increasing transparency.

"Enough is enough," he declared. "It’s time for federal agencies and unelected bureaucrats to remember that we, the people, sign their checks." Marshall urged Congress to take action against inefficiency through DOGE's initiatives: "DOGE is going to help us identify and prioritize the waste... but it’s up to Congress to put their gloves on."