White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt pushed back against criticism from Democrats and the media over President Donald Trump’s sweeping efforts to cut federal spending, many of which stem from proposals by Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Leavitt posted clips of past Democratic presidents—Joe Biden, Barack Obama, and Bill Clinton—advocating for similar fiscal restraint. She reminded critics that only Clinton had succeeded in meaningfully cutting government spending and balancing the federal budget during his time in office.
X users also resurfaced footage of Clinton’s reforms, including a 12% cut in administrative costs and the elimination of 100,000 government programs. His policies ultimately reduced the federal workforce by 16% and helped generate budget surpluses, avoiding a projected $650 billion deficit by the early 2000s.
With today’s deficit soaring to $1.83 trillion and interest on the debt nearing $880 billion, some Republicans argue that drastic reform is overdue. Rep. Daniel Webster (R-Fla.) slammed Democrats for opposing DOGE despite having once championed similar efforts under Obama’s U.S. Digital Service (USDS)—the very initiative that DOGE evolved from.
Webster noted the irony of Democrats once supporting Silicon Valley tech experts working inside federal agencies, only to oppose Trump’s appointment of Elon Musk to do the same. “The resistance to DOGE isn’t about accountability,” he said. “It’s about politics.”
