Marjorie Taylor Greene’s DOGE panel to launch its first budget-slashing hearing this week

The committee has run roughshod through Washington since Trump took office last month. The president has given Musk and DOGE a path to carry out a program of purging personnel and slashing spending that has brought bipartisan backlash and growing legal pushback.

Much of the court scrutiny revolves around whether the newly created panel has legal authority to slash spending that had already been allocated by Congress. The Constitution gives lawmakers the authority to decide government spending.

It’s unclear how closely Congress will work with DOGE, which was created by an executive order Trump signed hours after he was sworn in as president. The order spells out DOGE’s role to improve “quality and efficiency of government-wide software,” but it has rapidly embedded itself into all corners of Washington, drawing a flurry of legal challenges from critics who say it has far exceeded its authority.

Greene said she sees DOGE as an ally in retooling Washington and her subcommittee as a key tool to advance that agenda. She considers the agency, which formally reports to White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, an extension of the executive branch.

Greene said she sees Musk and DOGE, assigned by Trump to discover and eliminate what the president’s administration has deemed wasteful government spending, as an extension of his authority in the executive branch.

“What they’re doing is basically an audit looking deeply into how these departments run and where there’s waste, fraud and abuse,” she said. “That falls in line with exactly what I’ll be doing in Congress on my committee.”

Greene added: “Congress has a significant role, and it’s very important Congress stays involved. We want to keep that balance of power in our government.”

Credit: Nathan Posner for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Credit: Nathan Posner for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Since Trump took office Jan. 20, DOGE has gone beyond simply reviewing federal expenditures.

The committee has sought to dismantle specific programs, including the U.S Agency for International Development, the government’s lead agency for distributing humanitarian aid. It has pressured millions of federal employees to take a buyout offer. And it has gained access to sensitive financial and data systems.

Greene also is demanding the leaders of NPR and PBS to testify at her subcommittee on “systematically biased content” from federally funded radio and TV organizations – reviving a long-running partisan battle over public media.

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting receives about $535 million in annual federal funding, with budget hawks often accusing NPR and PBS of left-leaning coverage, while others champion their role in providing free news to millions of Americans.

Credit: Nathan Posner for the AJC

Credit: Nathan Posner for the AJC

“Why do they deserve the American people’s tax dollars if they’re going to use it to basically spread propaganda for the Democrat Party?” Greene said. “They should be bipartisan in the very least.”

NPR disputed Greene’s claims, saying its staff “constantly strive to hold ourselves to the highest standards of journalism.” And PBS said it welcomes the opportunity to explain how its service is essential “now more than ever.”

Pressed on whether she would reconsider her stance if NPR and PBS presented examples of tough coverage across the political spectrum, Greene was noncommittal.

“We’ll have the hearing,” she said, “and we’ll see what happens.”

Credit: Nathan Posner for the AJC

Credit: Nathan Posner for the AJC