Ocasio-Cortez slams DOGE safety net, veteran's health targets: 'Doesn't get lower'

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) criticized some of the alleged cost-cutting proposals related to veterans' health care, Medicare and Social Security by the "Department of Government Efficiency" (DOGE).

"Doesn’t get lower than gutting some of the only lifelines left for veterans, seniors, widows, and the disabled," Ocasio-Cortez wrote in a Thursday post on social platform X, claiming the advisory group is proposing to cut spending on things that benefit those groups.

Ocasio-Cortez's post was in response to a separate post from Elon Musk Wednesday that read, "Defund the ACLU." She was quick to defend the organization in her post, saying, "They receive $0 in taxpayer funds."

Republicans in Congress met Thursday with DOGE's co-leaders, Vivek Ramaswamy and Musk, at the invitation of Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.). Johnson previously told The Hill the meeting would be a “brainstorming session."

Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) is leading a Senate DOGE Caucus and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) is set to chair a subcommittee also related to DOGE and its efforts. 

Some Democrats have also expressed interest in joining: notably Reps. Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.) and Greg Landsman (D-Ohio). Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas) told The Hill he was thinking of joining as well.

Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) on Thursday unveiled her "DOGE Acts" legislation to cut spending and freeze federal hiring as well as salaries.

Questions over potential budget cuts come as President-elect Trump tapped Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an anti-vaccine activist and environmental lawyer, to lead the department of Heath and Human Services. He also announced television’s Dr. Mehmet Oz as his pick to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which is essentially the federal government’s insurance provider. 

Trump has vowed not to touch entitlement programs such as Medicare and Social Security, but he has made no such promise when it comes to Medicaid.