PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Oregon Congresswoman Val Hoyle (D-OR 4) joined a newly formed House caucus on Wednesday that will work with the government efficiency department led by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy in the upcoming Trump administration.

Rep. Hoyle said she's joining the Delivering Outstanding Government Efficiency Caucus to "ensure that working people, seniors and veterans have a champion in the room when Republicans propose cuts to the federal government."

The bipartisan caucus comes after Musk and Ramaswamy announced plans to cut $2 trillion in federal spending while leading the Department of Government Efficiency -- which will serve as an advisory group to the White House.

In a press release, Hoyle defended her decision to join the caucus and “responded to false attacks on social media” regarding her record on Social Security.

“Let me be perfectly clear: I oppose cuts to the Social Security Trust Fund – always have and always will. Anyone who says otherwise is dead wrong," Hoyle said. "The first bill I introduced in Congress with Representative Schakowsky and Senators Sanders and Warren was the Social Security Expansion Act, to expand and extend the benefits and solvency of the program. My district also has more Social Security recipients than 87% of other congressional districts. I know how important these programs are.

“The DOGE Caucus is a forum to discuss ways to find savings in the budget. Anyone who thinks there aren’t opportunities to make government more efficient and effective is not living in the real world. This isn’t a partisan issue. Whether it’s allowing Medicare to negotiate drug pricing or cracking down on defense contractors who overcharge the Defense Department, we should come to the table with our list while also strongly standing firm on protecting the programs that the American people rely on, like Social Security, Medicare, Veterans Service, the Postal Service, the FAA and so many more.” 

She continued, “We should all be for an efficient government that is focused on delivering for everyday Americans. But I came to Congress to be in the rooms where the tough conversations are happening – not to avoid them. That means engaging with my colleagues even when we strongly disagree. Avoiding these conversations doesn’t protect our values – it undermines them and cedes territory to those who would rather leave working families behind. I’m not willing to do that.” 

In addition to the DOGE group led by Musk and Ramaswamy, Hoyle explained there's also a DOGE House Oversight Subcommittee, which will be led by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA). Hoyle clarified that the role of the caucus, which is separate from the subcommittee and the Department of Government Efficiency, is to advocate for legislation, and host educational events and briefings.

As reported by The Hill, Rep. Jared Moskowitz (R-Fla.) was the first Democrat to join the caucus, which is led by Reps. Aaron Bean (R-Fla.) and Pete Sessions (R-Texas). Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) is leading the Senate arm of the caucus.

In a Wednesday post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Hoyle further explained her decision to join the caucus saying, "We have two choices: Either we can scream, yell and cry in our beer or have eyes, ears and a voice in the room to stand up for seniors, veterans and working people. I got elected to fight for my constituents and have hard conversations."

She continued, “If it seems strange to see a Democrat on the DOGE caucus, well, these are strange times, and the old rules of engagement do not apply. I believe this is not a time to be timid, it’s a time to lean in and fight for what matters. That can’t happen if I’m on the sidelines.”