Top Republican touts 'real motivation' behind House DOGE Caucus' mission before first meeting
A co-chair of the House of Representatives’ Congressional DOGE Caucus said there is "real motivation" behind accomplishing its mission of cutting the federal deficit.
Rep. Blake Moore, R-Utah, is House GOP Conference vice chair and the No. 6 House Republican, and recently joined Reps. Aaron Bean, R-Fla., and Pete Sessions, R-Texas, in leading the caucus.
The group’s name is an acronym for Delivering Outstanding Government Efficiency, coinciding with the Department of Government Efficiency – also DOGE for short – a new advisory panel commissioned by President-elect Trump and led by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy.
The caucus’ first meeting is slated for Tuesday. Moore said he hopes they can "create some structure on what we want to accomplish and set some initial first easy wins."
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He did not elaborate on what those wins would be, but suggested one of the caucus’ main goals would be delivering recommendations to Musk and Ramaswamy on how to make the federal government more efficient.
"We've got people that have great ideas from their various committees on things, areas that we can find efficiencies, and just get that all on paper and eventually, you know, provide some recommendations," Moore said.
The Utah Republican is hopeful that his unique position as a member of House leadership will allow him to be a conduit between the caucus and fellow congressional leaders.
"I was looking for another opportunity to help serve the conference," Moore said of his decision to become a co-chair. "There is a ton of bipartisan work that's already been done on this type of stuff for years leading up to it. We needed this moment as a catalyst to do it. So I am just thrilled to be a part of the leadership team."
He also suggested that the enthusiasm for DOGE was unlike anything he'd seen for prior government initiatives.
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"There's real motivation behind this, and the American people are galvanized by this. For example, I'm the chair, co-chair of the Ski and Snowboard caucus. Utah has… got the best ski – greatest snow on earth and all that. That doesn't draw the attention," Moore said.
"But I became a co-chair also of the DOGE Caucus, and you could tell a widespread interest in this from both media back home [and] constituents. We have to honor that."
Moore also dismissed concerns that DOGE’s internet meme-inspired branding might make people take it less seriously, arguing instead that it will help make Americans enthusiastic about the mission.
"Doge" is also the name of an internet meme popular in the 2010s, depicting a Shiba Inu and frequently accompanied by phrases in broken English representing the dog’s supposed internal monologue.
Musk has made no secret of his affinity for the meme, and even coined the name "Department of Government Efficiency" while posting references to it on X, formerly Twitter, before Trump made it a reality. He’s also promoted a cryptocurrency of the same name.
"I've never seen so much excitement and engagement from my constituents," Moore said. "The fact that it's the Doge, I think this is how people connect now. Like, you know, that's a good thing because it makes it relatable. And so I think it's definitely something that kind of makes people laugh a little bit and just find the irony in it."
"Whatever can get people's attention, you have to use that for good. Then you've got potential for impact."