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Elon Musk shared an old Obama speech on government waste as he faces backlash over DOGE's spending cuts. In 2011, Obama also pushed for eliminating "stupid spending" to reduce the deficit.
President Obama launched a similar campaign to DOGE in 2011. (Photo: Reuters)
UPDATED: Mar 14, 2025 17:31 IST
Tech billionaire Elon Musk shared an old video of former US President Barack Obama, highlighting his efforts to eliminate wasteful government spending.
Musk's latest post comes amid criticism of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a cost-cutting initiative established under the Trump administration. Facing backlash over layoffs and budget reductions, Musk pointed to Obama's 2011 remarks, suggesting that Democrats once supported similar measures. In his post, Musk wrote, “Obama sounds exactly like DOGE!!”
What did Barack Obama say?
In 2011, President Obama introduced the initiative, "Campaign to Cut Waste." It was aimed at reducing the federal deficit. Barack Obama acknowledged that this could lead to cuts in programs 'that a lot of people care about.' He added, 'But what should be easy is getting rid of the pointless waste and stupid spending that doesn't benefit anybody.'
He cited an example of federal funding for a government website dedicated to a forest rangers' music band. “I’ll put their music on my iPod, but I'm not paying for their website, and there are hundreds of similar sites that we should consolidate or just get rid of,” he added.
The campaign was led by then-Vice President Joe Biden. The Office of Management and Budget had announced that the campaign led to direct savings of $17.6 billion within six months.
Musk’s use of the video is seen as an attempt to justify DOGE’s mission.
Published By:
Aashish Vashistha
Published On:
Mar 14, 2025
