Elon Musk responded to critics of his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) last week by sharing a previously aired clip of former President Barack Obama announcing a similar initiative over ten years ago.
On his X platform, Musk shared a 2011 video featuring Obama launching the “Campaign to Cut Waste,” aimed at minimizing unnecessary government expenditures. Musk highlighted the parallels with the caption: “Sounds exactly like DOGE.”
In the video, Obama humorously mentioned appointing then-Vice President Joe Biden to lead the campaign, stating, “Nobody messes with Joe.” He pointed out various instances of what he termed “pointless waste and stupid spending that doesn’t benefit anybody,” including the ongoing funding of a website for a folk music group called the “Fiddlin’ Foresters.”
“No amount of waste is acceptable, especially when it’s your money,” Obama asserted. “Just as families are living within their means, government should too.”
In light of criticism that his DOGE is employing a drastic approach—eliminating entire agencies and laying off thousands—Musk shared the Obama clip to illustrate similarities. He suggested it served as a reminder that even Democrats have acknowledged the necessity of making “tough decisions” to eliminate government waste.
“Everyone knows that getting rid of the deficit will require some tough decisions, and that includes cutting back on billions of dollars in programs that a lot of people care about,” Obama stated in the resurfaced video.
While some users praised the comparison, others on X countered, arguing that Obama’s cost-cutting measures—such as reducing expenditures on unused federal buildings—were not comparable to Musk’s more aggressive, slash-and-burn tactics. The clip of Obama was originally recorded as he geared up for his 2012 re-election campaign, and some commenters on Musk’s post contended that the initiative ultimately had minimal effect on reducing federal spending.
Podcaster Joe Rogan remarked on the video, highlighting that it “took 14 years along with the involvement of Elon Musk and Donald Trump for discussions to translate into action.”
In his announcement, Obama indicated that the initiative aimed to “eliminate the deficit.” However, during his two terms in office, the federal budget deficit increased by 58 percent, contributing over $6.7 trillion to the national debt. In the video, he also mentioned that there are expenditures the U.S. “should eliminate even in the absence of a deficit.”
The 44th president further identified other areas for potential cuts, such as “thousands of unused buildings nationwide,” as part of his strategy to minimize government waste.
After Obama stated that his then-vice president would lead the initiative to “identify misallocated tax dollars in every agency and department of this government,” Biden appeared in the video, vowing to address spending with a “relentless focus.”
“We are holding ourselves accountable and are fully committed to enhancing the efficiency of government operations,” he asserted.
The reemergence of this clip coincides with ongoing intense discussions regarding DOGE in both Washington and across the nation.
