Fox News host Charlie Hurt dismissed protests by government bureaucrats against the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) as ineffective in turning American voters against President Donald Trump. Speaking on “Fox & Friends Weekend” Thursday, Hurt argued that public opposition to cuts in government spending is limited to those benefiting directly from it.
The controversy stems from an executive order signed by Trump, directing a review and realignment of foreign aid spending. In response, Democratic lawmakers joined protests Tuesday outside the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Treasury Department after DOGE Co-Chairman Elon Musk announced plans to shut down USAID.
Hurt criticized the protests, stating that the demonstrators were primarily D.C. bureaucrats rather than average American taxpayers.
“They are trying to get millions or at least thousands of people to march in the streets in Washington, D.C. The problem is they just come three blocks from somewhere else in Washington, D.C. Those are the only people who care about these cuts that DOGE is trying to make,” Hurt said on Varney & Co.
He further noted that taxpayers understand the government’s wasteful spending and support efforts to eliminate unnecessary programs.
Following the protests, representatives from DOGE and the State Department entered USAID headquarters Friday night to assess the agency’s spending. The review follows concerns raised by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who has long criticized USAID for lacking oversight and being unresponsive.
Rubio emphasized that USAID has operated independently of U.S. foreign policy goals, stating,
“The attitude that USAID has adopted over the years is ‘no, we are independent of the national interests, we fund programs irrespective of whether it is aligned or not aligned with foreign policy.’”
Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) revealed in a discussion with Elon Musk that USAID officials had threatened her after she sought oversight on humanitarian aid to Ukraine.
During his 2024 campaign, Trump proposed a government efficiency review led by Musk to eliminate wasteful spending. With the closure of USAID now underway, the administration appears committed to that promise despite pushback from government insiders.
