'I was proud to bring my colleagues together to coordinate efforts with Elon, so we can continue to streamline our work,' Joni Ernst told Fox News Digital
Elon Musk predicts DOGE will reach $1 trillion spending cut goal
Fox News senior White House correspondent Peter Doocy shares key takeaways from President Donald Trump's first Cabinet meeting of his second term.
FIRST ON FOX: Billionaire Elon Musk, now also a senior adviser to President Trump, met with Senate Republicans in the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) Caucus on Thursday at the White House to discuss the work they've been doing and to get briefed on DOGE's findings.
The meeting was led by caucus Chairwoman Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, who has spearheaded efforts to audit and cut bloat in the government for years.
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Elon Musk met with members of the Senate DOGE Caucus at the White House. (Getty Images)
"The Senate DOGE Caucus has hit the ground running to save taxpayer dollars," Ernst told Fox News Digital in an exclusive statement. "I was proud to bring my colleagues together to coordinate efforts with Elon, so we can continue to streamline our work. We are just getting started to make government more efficient and protect taxpayers to ensure Washington works for the American people."
The discussion was the first opportunity for senators in the caucus to hear from Musk directly regarding the discoveries he and DOGE have made.
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Ernst is chairwoman of the DOGE Caucus. (Reuters)
The goal of the gathering was to share work between the Senate and Musk's DOGE, and to discuss how they could be most helpful in the legislature, Ernst's office shared with Fox News Digital.
During the meeting, they presented to Musk the various areas that senators are already focused on, using a divide and conquer strategy. Some of the Republicans have targeted government spending, while others have sought to address the national debt, concerning flows of money to labs like the Wuhan Institute of Virology and much more.
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Elon Musk leads the Department of Government Efficiency. (Thomas Fuller/SOPA Images/LightRocket)
The senators further talked with Musk about how congressional action could make Washington, D.C., more efficient going forward and protect American taxpayers from funding extravagant projects.
In attendance at the meeting were Sens. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, Mike Lee, R-Utah, Rick Scott, R-Fla., Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., Roger Marshall, R-Kan., James Risch, R-Idaho, Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, Jon Husted, R-Ohio, Ron Johnson, R-Wis., Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, John Cornyn, R-Texas, Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., Tim Sheehy, R-Mont., Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., Katie Britt, R-Ala., Pete Ricketts, R-Neb., and John Hoeven, R-N.D.
Musk similarly met with President Donald Trump and his Cabinet at the White House on Wednesday.
The White House's DOGE spokesperson did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
Julia Johnson is a politics writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business, leading coverage of the U.S. Senate. She was previously a politics reporter at the Washington Examiner.
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