Sen. John Kennedy: Democrats Critical of DOGE Are Not Talking About What Elon Musk Is ‘Finding’

MACCALLUM: “With that, we bring in Louisiana Republican Senator John Kennedy. Senator, always good to have you with us. What was your reaction as you watched this sort of longer than usual, freewheeling press conference with these two foreign leaders?”

Kennedy: “Well, number one, I find it refreshing after four years where our president wouldn’t talk to anyone. Number two, I was paying especially close attention to what the president had to say about reviewing spending. I think it would be fair to say President Trump is dug in like a tick. He’s going to continue. He ran on this issue, he said, if you elect me president, I’m going to review the spending. Now, I don’t know how you review the spending without reviewing the spending. No fair-minded person can doubt that the president of the United States has the authority to review the spending in the executive Branch. He has delegated that authority to Elon Musk. A lot of my Democratic colleagues and most of the members of the tofu crowd are very upset, they’re screaming like Musk stole their dog or something. But one thing they are not talking about is what Mr. Musk is finding. I mean, just at the USAID he found hundreds of millions, maybe billions of dollars worth of spending porn.”

MACCALLUM: “Senator, let me ask you something, if I may. You wrote a piece about Medicaid, saying that there is a ton of waste in Medicaid. And you heard President Trump just moments ago, he said, we’re not going to touch Social Security, but he has said that there are a lot of bad people who shouldn’t be on the list, something to that effect, when it comes to Medicaid. What did you find and write about this week with regard to that?”

Kennedy: “The American people are the most generous people in the world. If you are hungry, we will feed you. If you are homeless, we will house you. And if you’re too poor to be sick, we will pay for your doctor, but all of it costs money. We are spending about a trillion dollars a year on Medicaid, President Biden increased it by about 40 percent. We estimate that there is between 10 and 30 million people on Medicaid who are perfectly able to work. I’ve got a bill that says if you are between 18 and 55, you are not disabled, you don’t have any minor kids at home, so we’re not talking about a mother with a sick child in her arms, you’ve got to work 20 hours a week. That will save us, according to CBO, about $100 billion over 10 years.”

MACCALLUM: “Yeah, right there.”

Kennedy: “It’s not just about the money. It’s not just about the money. There’s a moral principle. If you can work, you should work. These programs were not meant to be parking lots, they were meant to be bridges. And for some people, not everybody on Medicaid, but for some people the best way to get back on your feet is to get off your ass.”

MACCALLUM: “Well, well put. And the piece that you wrote, it’s very interesting. And the idea is that if you are able-bodied and you’re accepting Medicaid, you should be working as well, gainfully employed.”

Kennedy: “Yeah.”

MACCALLUM: “And it’s an idea that I think would be common sense to a lot of people. You also pointed out the psychological benefits of going to work and having a job, and that that is what pulls people out of situations where they need this kind of aid. Interesting piece. Senator, thank you very much. It’s always good to have you with us. Thank you, sir.”

Kennedy: “Thank you, Martha.”