Bernie Sanders backs DOGE, says 'Elon Musk is right'



Former Democrat turned independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont publicly endorsed the Department of Government Efficiency, a new agency in the upcoming administration aimed at reducing the bloated bureaucracy.

President-elect Donald Trump announced that tech mogul Elon Musk will be at the helm of the department alongside former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy. While the department received a lot of expected praise from conservatives, Sanders also came out in support of DOGE.

'Republican politicians have dreamed about the objectives of "DOGE" for a very long time.'

"Elon Musk is right," Sanders said in a Sunday post on X. "The Pentagon, with a budget of $886 billion, just failed its 7th audit in a row. It’s lost track of billions."

"Last year, only 13 senators voted against the Military Industrial Complex and a defense budget full of waste and fraud," Sanders continued. "That must change."

Trump announced on November 12, just one week after his landslide victory, that Musk and Ramaswamy would be leading the department.

"Together, these two wonderful Americans will pave the way for my Administration to dismantle Government Bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure Federal Agencies - Essential to the 'Save America' Movement," Trump said in a statement on November 12.

"It will become, potentially, 'The Manhattan Project' of our time," Trump continued. "Republican politicians have dreamed about the objectives of 'DOGE' for a very long time. To drive this kind of drastic change, the Department of Government Efficiency will provide advice and guidance from outside of Government, and will partner with the White House and Office of Management & Budget to drive large scale structural reform, and create an entrepreneurial approach to Government never seen before."

Trump also detailed that the department will exist only through July 4, 2026, the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.

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EXCLUSIVE: Pennsylvania Motor Voter System Will Be Audited For Noncitizen Voters

In Pennsylvania, at least 628,234 noncitizens had a state-issued ID, according to a Right-to-Know request. Were any registered to vote?

Pennsylvania governor's Cabinet official accused of dodging audit of program funded by taxpayers



A member of Pennsylvania Democrat Gov. Josh Shapiro's cabinet is currently under subpoena after his department allegedly dodged records requests regarding a taxpayer-funded neighborhood initiative.

For more than a decade, the good people of Pennsylvania have been paying to fund the Allentown Neighborhood Improvement Zone, a program designed to revitalize the city after much of its industry began to collapse in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Since 2011, about $500 million have been allocated to the Allentown NIZ, and now state officials want more information about how that money has been spent.

'It’s hard to determine the value of a program when its financial records remain largely hidden and secretive.'

First-term Republican state Sen. Jarrett Coleman began exploring the issue in March 2023, when he made two official requests to the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue for financial records related to the Allentown NIZ. However, Revenue Secretary Pat Browne reportedly denied those requests.

By May 2023, Coleman had sought further assistance in the matter from the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee. He then drew up Senate Resolution 110, asking the LBFC to conduct "a performance audit" of the Allentown NIZ. In December, the LBFC agreed to do so.

According to reports, the LBFC has made at least four official attempts this year — on April 15, May 9, June 5, and June 6 — to gain access to the tax records associated with the Allentown NIZ, but the Revenue Department has seemingly thwarted each of those efforts.

As a result of the department's apparent stonewalling, the Senate Intergovernmental Operations Committee, chaired by Coleman, voted on Wednesday to subpoena Secretary Browne.

"The sources of the Allentown NIZ’s revenues, the way it uses the money and the effectiveness of the program seem to be shrouded in mystery," Coleman said in a statement. "It’s hard to determine the value of a program when its financial records remain largely hidden and secretive."

This is not the first time Sen. Coleman and Sec. Browne have been at odds. Browne sat in the state Senate seat currently occupied by Coleman for nearly 20 years until Coleman defeated him in the 2022 GOP primary. After the loss, Browne, a longtime Pennsylvania Republican, was appointed to serve in the Cabinet of Democrat Gov. Shapiro.

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Clark County Unlawfully Deleted Nevada Election Records, New Audit Claims

Clark County, Nevada, prematurely deleted election-related records, in violation of state and federal law, a new audit claims.

Biden’s Supersized IRS Will Spread Out More Audits For White People, Incoming Commissioner Promises

The only way to balance out this supposed injustice is for IRS agents to consciously target more non-blacks for audits.

Biden’s New IRS Agents Should Investigate If This Partisan Teachers Union Is Dodging Its Taxes

The American Federation of Teachers’ tax returns say it spends zero dollars on politics and does not engage in political activities. The IRS ought to investigate.

DeSantis says the lawmakers who voted for the 'Inflation Reduction Act' should get IRS audits every year



Earlier this month, President Joe Biden signed the so-called Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 after Democrats rammed it through Congress without any GOP support. The measure included billions of dollars in funding for the Internal Revenue Service. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said on Tuesday that he believes every lawmaker who voted to pass legislation should face mandatory annual audits by the IRS.

DeSantis claimed that IRS agents hired because of the bill will be utilized to target those who the "government doesn't like." He said that they will not just target billionaires, noting that billionaires have accountants as well as lawyers — the governor said that they will pursue those who cannot "defend themselves against these audits."

LIVE: DeSantis speaks in Fort Pierce youtu.be

In an Aug. 10 letter to IRS Commissioner Charles P. Rettig, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen wrote, "Specifically, I direct that any additional resources—including any new personnel or auditors that are hired—shall not be used to increase the share of small business or households below the $400,000 threshold that are audited relative to historical levels."

During his remarks on Tuesday, DeSantis also called out Biden's plan to nix massive amounts of federal student loan debt, saying that Biden does not possess the authority to make the move. The Biden administration plans to cancel $10,000 of federal student loan debt for people earning less than $125,000 per year — those who received Pell Grants would get $20,000 of federal student loan debt wiped out.

DeSantis, who has previously served in the U.S. House of Representatives, is currently seeking re-election during the Sunshine State's 2022 gubernatorial contest. The incumbent Republican governor will face off against Democratic Rep. Charlie Crist during the general election.

After winning the state's Democratic gubernatorial primary last week, Crist said that he does not want the votes of DeSantis supporters, suggesting that they harbor hate within their hearts. California Gov. Gavin Newsom said last week that he was pledging $100,000 to Crist. Crist's running mate, Karla Hernández, is the leader of a left-wing teachers union.

‘Build Back Better’ Bill Would Fund 86,000 Additional IRS Agents To Sic On American Taxpayers

Does anyone believe that doubling the size of the IRS means new employees will only focus on 'the rich' and avoid targeting middle class Americans?

Why Did The IRS Audit Donald Trump, But Not Joe Biden?

An important question comes as Democrats want to give the IRS $80 billion in new funding over a decade, along with new enforcement authority.