US Senator B. Sanders agrees with E. Musk and his investigation on Pentagon

B. Sanders agreed to DOGE's plans to investigate Pentagon over lost billions

While Donald Trump is forming his new administration, people express their opinions about possible picks for positions and plans and incoming policy changes. Elon Musk is a new Trump supporter who is going for a change in administration, policies, or laws.

D. Trump announced the formation of the new advisory group, the Department of Government Efficiency, aka DOGE. This entity will be an independent nongovernment commission led by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy. It can only provide recommendations to Congress and the president, but other details remain undisclosed^[1].

As of now, Donald Trump announced that the duo will pave the way for his new administration. The main goals are dismantling the government bureaucracy, reducing regulations, cutting expenditures, and restructuring agencies. Both Musk and Ramaswamy have been aggressive on some of the issues related to an effort to stop government wasteful spending.

When the news came out about Pentagon's seventh failed attempt to pass audit, a call for change became a bit louder. Many people expect DOGE to encourage the change, but critics remain worried about the possible outcomes.

Now, Sen. Bernie Sanders has come out to say that he agrees with particular statements E. Musk has released^[2]. These hundreds of billions possibly opened the eyes of many. He is in favor of the newly established agency and its efforts.

B. Sanders slams Pentagon's budget and failed audits, admitting E. Musk is right

B. Sanders is a vocal advocate for fiscal transparency in the Pentagon. He posted on social media addressing the scandal over the 7th failed audit. He called attention to the Department of Defense's inability to account for billions of dollars within the budget.

"Elon Musk is right. The Pentagon, with a budget of $886 billion, just failed its 7th audit in a row. It’s lost track of billions. Last year, only 13 senators voted against the Military Industrial Complex and a defense budget full of waste and fraud. That must change."

E. Musk reacted to the post with two American flags. Tesla and SpaceX CEO is yet to announce particular cuts and plants that the commission has or is set to make, but he criticized the Pentagon's F-35 program with a few posts on X a few weeks back^[3].

The technology billionaire and the senator have reached common ground on military spending, but they have other political differences. The 83-year-old is the longest-serving independent member of Congress. The progressive politician also addressed that the country needs to "defeat the oligarchs and create an economy and government that works for all, not just the few."

"Today, in America, we have a political system that is increasingly controlled by the billionaire class. In the recent elections, just 150 billionaire families spent nearly $2 billion to get their candidates elected," Sanders said. However, E. Musk significantly contributed to D. Trump's 2024 campaign. He spent $119 million on his pro-Trump political action committee^[4].

The national debt has reached $36 trillion

Elon Musk has been vocal about government inefficiencies, sharing concerns on social media about projects and the growing national debt. His posts underline a broader frustration with what he sees as wasteful government spending and its impact on taxpayers.

Musk highlighted a post from DOGE’s official account about California’s High-Speed Rail Project. Initially estimated in 2008 to cost $33 billion, the project’s price tag has now ballooned to between $88.5 billion and $127.9 billion.

While the original completion date was set for 2020, as of 2024, no one has been transported, and much of the railway remains unplanned. Despite receiving $6.8 billion in federal funding, the project team requests an additional $8 billion. Musk reposted with a sharp critique: "The government needs to stop wasting your hard-earned money!"

In another post, Musk addressed the nation’s financial troubles. Speaking against the backdrop of an American flag, he warned about the rising interest payments on the national debt, which now exceed the defense budget—over a trillion dollars annually. "The country is going to go bankrupt," he stated, advocating for the creation of the DOGE, Musk quipped that this initiative would bear its name "on a brass plaque on a desk," symbolizing a commitment to cutting waste.

He claimed that many Americans are unaware of the scale of the national debt, which has surpassed $36 trillion. "Only a small percentage understand that government overspending causes inflation," he said. Musk emphasized that all government spending amounts to taxation—directly through taxes or indirectly through inflation caused by increasing the money supply.

Musk and Ramaswamy’s initiative aims to tackle inefficiencies and inspire a fresh approach to governance. Musk’s warnings about the national debt and inflation underscore the issue's urgency, while DOGE represents a push toward accountability and reform. Whether this bold effort will yield meaningful change remains to be seen, but the message is clear: unchecked spending and inefficiency are unsustainable for the nation’s future.