Democrats are in a real bind right now. The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is slashing waste at a breakneck pace, gutting their beloved slush fund for leftist pet projects and wiping out programs that conveniently line their allies’ pockets. The problem? They can’t exactly come out and say they oppose cutting waste, so they’re scrambling to find a more palatable excuse for their opposition to DOGE.
At a recent press conference, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) inadvertently made the case for the DOGE while discussing wasteful spending in the federal government. In his response to a reporter’s question on whether he believes there is unnecessary spending that should be cut, Schumer admitted that waste is an issue.
“Of course, there's some wasteful spending, but you don't use a meat axe and cut everything,” Schumer said. “We need to look at each program. We need to go through Congress and see what's wasteful and move to eliminate it and what's very not wasteful, but very much needed.”
SEN. SCHUMER: "Of course, there's some wasteful spending, but you don't use a meat axe & cut everything!" pic.twitter.com/OcN1insYsA
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) February 19, 2025
Now, ask yourself the following question: If Chuck Schumer admits that there’s wasteful spending, why hasn’t he done anything about it? He served in the House of Representatives for 18 years, has been in the U.S. Senate since 1999, and has been in Senate leadership for 20 years.
If Congress was serious about eliminating waste, DOGE wouldn’t be necessary. In fact, Barack Obama said the same thing back in 2011.
“Cutting waste, making government more efficient, is something that leaders in both parties have worked on,” he said. “We haven’t seen as much action out of Congress as we’d like, and that’s why we launched, on our own initiative, the campaign to cut waste. Not just to cut spending but to make government work better for the American people.”
Sure, nothing came out of Obama’s initiative, but clearly, Congress wasn’t doing enough then and continued to do not enough (dare I say nothing at all) to reduce waste. Yet, we’re supposed to believe Schumer that he’s all for cutting waste, he’s just not a fan of how DOGE is doing it?
“They're just using a meat axe and cutting everything, including many things that American families need, want, and approve of,” Schumer said.
This, of course, is absurd because DOGE couldn’t be more transparent about what is being cut. We can see exactly what they’ve targeted and judge for ourselves whether it’s a legitimate program or a wasteful one. Now, if Chuck Schumer thinks that transgender operas overseas, luxury hotels for illegal immigrants, DEI contracts, Sesame Street in Iraq, etc. are wise uses of taxpayer dollars, then I would love to see him attempt to defend them.
Related: Here’s What Trump Has to Say About the ‘DOGE Dividend'
But the truth is, we’re probably not cutting enough. At least, that's what famed entrepreneur Kevin O’Leary says. In a recent CNN segment, O'Leary said, “I think the issue is they're not whacking enough.”
He explained, “There's this concept in private equity when you get a bankrupt company and you go in there, you cut 20% more than your initial read. And then you find, like a pool of mercury, the organization gels back together again. Always cut deeper, harder when there's fat and waste.”
O'Leary argued that government agencies, such as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), are bloated with outdated technology and inefficiencies. He compared these agencies to "big fat chickens dripping over barbecues of fat," suggesting that there is ample room for significant reductions. "They're not cutting enough. Keep slashing. Keep hacking while you have a 24-month mandate before the midterms," O'Leary urged, emphasizing the need for swift and decisive action.
Kevin O'Leary just had a fantastic rant calling for DOGE to fire more people.
— Thomas Hern (@ThomasMHern) February 18, 2025
"I think the issue is they're not whacking enough. You go in there and you cut 20% more than your initial read. Always cut deeper when there's fat and waste."
The CNN panel was left dumfounded. pic.twitter.com/iRQeiy2vOm
Let’s drop the pretense that Democrats actually support spending cuts and are just quibbling over how they’re done. Even Chuck Schumer has admitted wasteful spending exists, yet neither he nor his fellow Democrats (or Republicans, for that matter) have lifted a finger to do anything about it. The best part? In trying to attack DOGE, Schumer accidentally made the strongest case for it.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member