House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has announced a two-pronged strategy to implement the Department of Government Efficiency’s (DOGE) proposed spending cuts, following criticism from conservatives over their exclusion from recent legislation. The plan involves incorporating the cuts into the fall appropriations process and utilizing a rescission package to reclaim unspent government funds.
The DOGE initiative, led by Elon Musk, claims to have identified over $175 billion in potential savings by targeting waste, fraud, and abuse across the federal government. However, this figure has been contested by some analysts.
Conservative figures, including Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, criticized Republicans for omitting the DOGE cuts from the recently passed “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” a major legislative package encompassing tax reforms and other Trump-era policies totaling $1.5 trillion in cuts.
Johnson clarified that DOGE’s cuts involve discretionary spending, which could not be included in the reconciliation process used for the bill. He emphasized that the House is prepared to act swiftly on the rescissions package once it is sent by the White House and to implement President Trump’s 2026 budget through the appropriations process.
