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Dear Neighbor,
We are already delivering on the promises made to Americans to restore an America First agenda! Please continue reading to learn more about our success in these areas.
Restoring Fiscal Sanity: The House is currently working through the reconciliation process to deliver a budget package that provides resources to secure our border, strengthen national security, lower inflation, expand energy production, and cut taxes for American families. There are two main steps in the reconciliation process. The first is passing a budget resolution that unlocks each committees' ability to develop legislation that will implement portions of President Trump’s America First agenda. In a huge milestone, the House passed our budget resolution last week.
The second step in the process is passing the reconciliation legislation that meets the objectives laid out in the budget resolution blueprint. We will be working on the reconciliation package over the next few weeks. If we remain united, we can deliver on the promises that have been made to all Americans.
Understanding DOGE: DOGE has been getting quite a bit of attention in the national media over the past few weeks. DOGE’s job is to identify the waste, fraud, and abuse within our federal government and report the misuse of taxpayer dollars to the agency or department where the fraud is found- they are a fraud flashlight. DOGE has NO unilateral authority to decide cuts, firings etc. All actions are given from the President to components of the White House (examples: Office of Personnel Management, Office of Management and Budget, General Services Administration) and agencies and departments throughout the administration. To date, DOGE's total estimated savings are $55 billion. This is a combination of fraud detection/deletion, contract/lease cancellations, contract/lease renegotiations, asset sales, grant cancellations, workforce reductions, programmatic changes, and regulatory savings. The pace of DOGE has been quick, and as with any time we embark upon rapid change, there will be some confusion and possibly even some missteps. Congress retains its oversight responsibilities and will continue to monitor the progress and decisions that are being made. However, it is important to keep in mind that the majority of the American people voted for major change in Washington, and as part of that change we must reexamine our spending priorities. Getting us out of nearly $37 trillion in debt will not be easy, but it can be done.
Over the past few weeks, I’ve seen a high volume of calls in my office with people who have questions about what they are hearing about DOGE. I appreciate the opportunity to address some of the most common questions.
What is DOGE?
DOGE can refer to three different entities within the Federal Government that are set forth in Executive Order 14158.
First, there is the U.S. DOGE Service (USDS). The USDS is the renamed version of the U.S. Digital Service, which was created by President Obama over ten years ago. It is a permanent organization within the Executive Office of the President. The USDS has been directed by President Trump to launch an initiative to improve the federal government’s information technology systems, which is a mission similar to that of the Obama Administration’s U.S. Digital Service. The January 20, 2025, EO establishing the renamed USDS is available here.
Second, there is the U.S. DOGE Service Temporary Organization. This is an organization within USDS that will exist for 18 months, ending on July 4, 2026. It will focus on advancing President Trump’s 18-month DOGE agenda. This organization was also established by the EO linked above.
Third, each federal agency has its own DOGE Team comprised of agency employees, not USDS employees. DOGE Teams include at least four employees: (typically) a DOGE Team Lead, an engineer, an HR specialist, and an attorney. The DOGE Teams are tasked with advising their respective Agency Heads on implementing the President’s DOGE agenda and coordinating their work with the USDS. For example, DOGE Teams have been tasked with assisting in the review of agency regulations and personnel decisions, but final decision-making authority remains with Agency Heads.
The DOGE teams are comprised of direct agency hires or White House details to the various agencies and departments. They could also be special government employees under 18 U.S.C § 202.
Is Elon Musk part of DOGE?
No, Musk is not formally part of the USDS, the U.S. DOGE Service Temporary Organization, or any DOGE Team. Rather, he works in the White House Office as a Senior Advisor to President Trump and is a special government employee. In this role, he can present his advice and recommendations directly to President Trump, but he has no formal decision-making authority. An official statement about Musk’s role in the Administration can be found here. For Mr. Musk’s recommendations to be carried out, President Trump or the relevant Agency Head must act. The President and Agency Heads retain full decision-making authority. Thus, Musk is not an officer under the Appointments Clause of the Constitution and does not require Senate confirmation, similar to the White House Chief of Staff.
I am also part of the DOGE Caucus in Congress. We are seeking to support the President’s mission to rein in wasteful spending. As part of that endeavor, I recently held DOGE budget workshops that were attended by more than 600 constituents. After listening to hundreds of my constituents during in-person forums, it is clear that the vast majority of my constituents want us to keep rooting out the waste, fraud and abuse of their tax dollars. I will keep doing all I can to achieve this goal.
Last week, the House also passed a measure to strike burdensome Department of Energy regulations that increase costs for consumers and manufacturers. H.J. Res. 35 rolls back the disastrous natural gas tax imposed by Democrats. This overreach has driven up energy prices, hurt domestic natural gas production, and increased reliance on foreign energy — without delivering any so-called environmental benefit. H.J. Res. 20 ends the Biden Administration’s radical ban on gas-fired water heaters. We refuse to allow this unnecessary, ridiculous last-minute rule to continue to raise prices, eliminate jobs, and restrict affordable, reliable choices for American households.We will keep our promise to restore fiscal sanity and I will endeavor to keep you informed every step of the way.
Fighting for Our Nation’s Heroes: My office has also received some calls from constituents about the Department of Veterans Affairs' announcement last week that it has dismissed more than 1,400 employees in non-mission critical positions. Those dismissed are bargaining-unit probationary employees who have served less than a year in a competitive service appointment or who have served less than two years in an excepted service appointment. The personnel moves will save the department more than $83 million per year, and VA will redirect all of those resources back toward health care, benefits and services for VA beneficiaries. As an additional safeguard to ensure VA benefits and services are not impacted, the first Senior Executive Service (SES) or SES-equivalent leader in a dismissed employee’s chain of command can request that the employee be exempted from removal. In the meantime, VA continues to hire for more than 300,000 mission-critical positions that are exempt from the federal hiring freeze.
Additionally, this story profiles a local Veteran who is having problems with TriCare coverage. My team has already reached out to Tricare to try to resolve the problem and we will keep advocating for this Veteran and his family until the problem is fixed.
Protecting Consumers: I’m working to improve transparency and protect consumers with my TICKET Act. Click here to learn more about my efforts.
Securing the Border: We are working to strengthen border security – with construction of the wall recently re-started. A new report shows that in just one month, crossings have already dropped to a five-year low. This is what a return to law and order looks like. Click here to read more about our success!
Prioritizing Patients: During last week’s Health Subcommittee hearing, we examined how reining in Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) will drive competition and lower costs for patients. Click here to listen to my exchange with the panelists.
Community Connection
I am fortunate to have a team of dedicated staff who regularly attend events throughout our community, especially when I am required to be in Washington, DC. Through their collective efforts, I am better able to stay connected to the issues that matter most to my constituents. As part of my commitment to developing a better understanding of the issues facing constituents in Citrus, Hernando and Pasco counties, members of my team attended several events last week. Here are a few highlights.
My team participated in a behind the scenes tour of one of Baycare's local hospitals to learn more about the challenges facing healthcare professionals as they endeavor to provide quality care to all patients.
My team also attended a President's Day celebration at Genesis Prep School in New Port Richey.
Additionally, my team attended the Campbell & Company Wealth Management's 10th anniversary celebration in Odessa.
Constituent Corner
My team recently received this message after helping to resolve a problem our constituent was having with Social Security.
After waiting on hold for almost three hours only to be told that the woman at the Social Security office couldn't help me, I was so relieved to call your office and find a friendly ear. Then, your staff had a Social Security Supervisor email all the paperwork I needed to fix my problem. Thanks so much!
This is just one example of the work we do each day. Constituent services are a critical element of our congressional office. The federal government is a massive operation, and my office is available if you ever need assistance in navigating the bureaucracy or cutting through red tape. We are here to serve you! |