These Democrats do not completely reject DOGE. This could give Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy a serious bipartisan boost.

• Some Democrats reject DOGE’s upcoming move to cut wasteful government spending.

• Other party members aren’t completely dismissing what Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy are selling.

• Several key progressives believe they can work with DOGE on the defense budget.

President-elect Donald Trump has big plans to shrink the size of government, and he has said he will use Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy’s Department of Government Effectiveness as a way to make his intentions a reality.

Several Democrats, including Reps. Ro Khanna of California and Jared Moskowitz of Florida, have already indicated they want to be part of the conversation regarding any proposal.

Here are the congressional Democrats who could potentially give a bipartisan boost to the DOGE recommendations:

Representative Jared Moskowitz of Florida

Moskowitz was the first Democratic lawmaker to join the House DOGE caucus, which will partner with the DOGE Commission and study ways to limit spending.

In December, the congressman told Business Insider that his overall mission was to reorganize the Department of Homeland Security so that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Secret Service report directly to the commander in chief.

“If this is where this conversation needs to happen, I’m happy to be at the table,” Moskowitz said. “And if they want to do stupid things, I will report it and vote against it.”

In a recent interview with NPR, Moskowitz said joining the DOGE caucus was not an indication that he fully embraces Trump’s legislative worldview.

“On some issues, I’m progressive. On other issues, I’m conservative, and I think most of my voters are,” he said.

Representative Val Hoyle of Oregon

Hoyle is another Democratic lawmaker who has joined the DOGE Caucus and strongly supports the decision.

In a recent statement, she said she came to Washington “to be in the rooms where the tough conversations are happening” — while also affirming her commitment to protecting Social Security.

“I oppose cuts to the Social Security Trust Fund — always have and always will,” she said.

“The DOGE Caucus is a forum to discuss ways to find savings in the budget,” she continued. “Anyone who thinks there is no possibility of making government more efficient and effective is not living in the real world. This is not a partisan issue.”

Representative Ro Khanna of California

Khanna, who represents a district that includes part of Silicon Valley, is known for his progressive views. He has reached across the aisle on a range of issues, including legislation regarding technology and veterans.

“President Trump signed five of my bills in his first term. I think I was the California Democrat who signed the most bills, and that’s because I looked for points common,” Khanna said in an interview with Spectrum News in December. .

Regarding DOGE, Khanna said he hopes to work with the commission to eliminate wasteful spending within the Department of Defense.

“American taxpayers want and deserve the best return on their investment,” he recently wrote in an MSNBC op-ed. “Let’s put politics aside and work with DOGE to reduce unnecessary defense spending.”

Senator Chris Coons of Delaware

During an appearance on Fox News in November, Coons, a close ally of President Joe Biden, apparently expressed openness to some of DOGE’s goals.

“They could save tens, if not hundreds of billions of dollars,” he said at the time. “Depending on how it’s structured and what they do, this could be a constructive endeavor that should be adopted.”

Coons also threw cold water on the $2 trillion figure, arguing that “there’s no way” to make such drastic spending cuts without impacting programs like Social Security , Medicare and Medicaid.

Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont

Sanders, a longtime progressive champion, turned heads when he wrote on X that “Elon Musk is right” about the need to combat waste in government.

“The Pentagon, with a budget of $886 billion, has just failed its 7th consecutive audit. It has lost track of the billions,” he said. “Last year, only 13 senators voted against the military-industrial complex and a defense budget full of waste and fraud. This must change.”

Representative Tom Suozzi of New York

Suozzi, a Long Island congressman known for his moderate politics, said he was looking forward to Musk and Ramaswamy’s high-profile December visit to Capitol Hill to meet with lawmakers. However, Suozzi wrote on X that he was told the meeting was not open to Democratic members, a development he called “unfortunate.”

“I would have liked to attend the meeting and explore whether there are opportunities to work cross-party to promote cost savings and efficiencies,” he said. “Many of us on this side of the aisle both share the goal of making government more efficient and actually have experience doing this.”

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