Trump’s DOGE Double Down & Federal Worker Competency | 3.10.25

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What stance does Trump take on Doge and Tesla?

John Bickley 0:03
Protesters target Doge and Tesla, but Trump makes clear he stands behind Musk in his efforts to slash government spending.
Donald Trump 0:10
I mean, the money they're spending on all of this stuff, the whole thing's a scam.
Georgia Howe 0:15
How do Americans feel about Musk and Doge?
John Bickley 0:18
I'm Daily Wire Editor-in-Chief John Bickley with Georgia Howe. It's Monday, March 10th, and this is Morning Wire. Should federal employees have to pass a competency test to be hired? The Trump administration thinks so, but a decades-old law stands in the way. We have the Daily Wire exclusive.
Georgia Howe 0:39
And Trump calls on Republicans to back a government funding bill that would give him time to put the country's financial house in order.
Andy Harris 0:47
We have to bring down the federal deficit and control the federal debt.
John Bickley 0:51
Thanks for waking up with Morning Wire. Stay tuned. We have the news you need to know.
Narrator 0:59
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Donald Trump 1:34
Now, he's done a great job. He actually is a real patriot. This is something that's really not good for him, and yet he's doing it. But he's opened a lot of eyes.
John Bickley 1:44
That was President Trump on Sunday voicing his confidence in Elon Musk's continued efforts to cut federal spending through the Department of Government Efficiency. Though popular with voters, the independent agency has sparked left-wing protests and violent attacks on Tesla facilities.
Georgia Howe 2:00
Here with more is Daily Wire culture reporter Megan Basham. So Megan, Doge is continuing to identify some really eye-popping expenditures in the federal budget, but there's been a lot of pressure from the left for the president to rein Musk in, with some interpreting Trump's recent statements as doing just that. What are we seeing on the Trump-Musk front?
Megan Basham 2:21
Well, you know, I think what you're seeing is some careful PR management surrounding a program that has been significantly slowed down by the courts and has become a key target for Democrats. I think some of that has spooked Republican lawmakers. Reportedly, the president has been hearing from them. And then last Thursday, he posted on Truth Social that these cuts are going to be made using a scalpel rather than a hatchet. And he also stressed that the cabinet secretaries will be making the final calls on these cuts. And that's something that Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick emphasized on Meet the Press on Sunday.
Unidentified Speaker (Brief Interjection) 2:55
There's no one watching this TV right now who, if Elon Musk said he was going to come over to their house and help them, wouldn't like cheer. You have the best technologists and the richest guy in the world said, I'll help you. Come on. We want his help.
Megan Basham 3:06
But at the same time that Trump is being careful to note that Musk is only advising, and we want to be clear, presidents have every right to call on private sector advisors, he's also touting the waste, fraud, and abuse that Musk's team has identified. This is what he told Fox yesterday.
Donald Trump 3:23
He's found hundreds of billions of dollars worth of fake contracts. And I read just a tiny portion of them the other night. And you'll find ultimately that the money that they sent comes back to a lot of the people that made those deals.
Megan Basham 3:38
Trump added that Musk has convinced him that some government departments do need to see deep cuts as much as 50 to 70 percent.

Why is federal worker competency testing controversial?

Georgia Howe 3:47
So it sounds like a good deal of solidarity between Trump and Musk at this point. Yeah. Now, all of this has led, though, to protests at Tesla facilities.
Megan Basham 3:55
Where are we seeing those? So they're calling these Tesla takedown protests. And I'd say that none have been particularly large. You're mostly hearing about gatherings of hundreds, but they are actually happening all across the country and they're getting substantial media attention. Now, part of that is because some pretty high profile people are participating in these rallies.

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