The United States federal congressman Jared Moskowitz is the first Democrat to join the House of Representatives’ “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE) task force in Florida.
Moskowitz discussed for the first time on Tuesday, December 3rd, why he decided to join the DOGE task force. He stated on CNN’s “The Lead” program that most congressional task forces are typically composed of members from both parties, and the era of Democrats “only having discussions within their comfort zone has ended. We should be brave enough to cross different fields and engage in more open and diverse dialogues to address various issues.”
Moskowitz emphasized that Democrats must engage in important discussions within these task forces, especially concerning government restructuring and budget cuts. “I hope to have comprehensive discussions, which is why I joined this task force to meet with colleagues from the opposing party. Democrats should not fear these discussions. I believe there are ways to improve the government, and I am working hard to achieve that,” he said.
“In essence, I believe everyone in Congress is aware that the government is not perfect. I am looking for ways to improve the government and believe that the American people also want Congress to find effective ways to improve government operations. In some cases, this may mean reducing the size of the government,” he stated.
The DOGE task force in the House is led by congressmen Aaron Bean from Florida and Pete Sessions from Texas. The aim of this task force is to collaborate with Elon Musk’s and Vivek Ramaswamy’s “Department of Government Efficiency” to reduce unnecessary regulations, administrative directives, and cut wasteful spending. These spending reduction plans need to be voted on in Congress to be implemented.
Moskowitz reiterated his top priorities for joining the DOGE task force on the program. “I joined this task force for a specific purpose, as I have been trying for years to separate the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) from the Department of Homeland Security,” he stated. “I think creating the Department of Homeland Security was a good idea, and the department must still exist in the future. However, I believe that over the past 20 years, the Department of Homeland Security has become too large,” he added.
Moskowitz pointed out that such discussions are currently taking place within the DOGE task force, and it is the responsibility of Democrats to participate and ensure that these discussions fully consider different perspectives. “I believe Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy will present views that I strongly oppose, but I will actively express my dissenting opinions,” he said. “We must engage in conversations. If we ignore these discussions or pretend they don’t exist, we cannot effectively address the problems.”