Former Democratic presidential candidate Dean Phillips blasted his party for trying to stop Elon Musk from auditing government spending. Musk, who heads the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), has launched investigations into how agencies are spending taxpayer money.
Phillips, in a Wednesday interview with CNN, admitted that Democrats are getting "steamrolled" by Musk. The billionaire and X owner has pressed forward with internal audits while Democrats protest loudly but ineffectively. Phillips believes they need a new approach.
"And all I‘m saying is that sometimes it’s better to join [DOGE, Trump] and actually play a role in how the strategy works," Phillips told CNN’s Laura Coates. "Rather than so pathetically, frankly, try to combat something that clearly is a steamroller."
Phillips urged fellow Democrats to cooperate with DOGE rather than fight against it. The agency was created last month by former President Donald Trump via executive order to improve government efficiency.
DOGE has already begun auditing agencies, focusing on the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Their goal is to identify fraud and waste in government spending.
Protests erupted on Capitol Hill this week as Democratic lawmakers accused Musk of violating the Constitution. Despite the outrage, Phillips admitted their strategy isn’t working. Musk continues to gain public support through his social media platform, X.
"Unfortunately, Democrats are only focused on one thing right now—Mr. Musk," Phillips said. "The fact of the matter is, he‘s quite popular. He has the largest platform in human history, which is, of course, Twitter/X, and I think we’re missing the boat as Democrats."
Instead of resisting, Phillips suggested working with DOGE to influence its policies. He argued that this would give Democrats more control and help keep Musk and Trump in check.
"And Democrats are being steamrolled. And I‘m deeply concerned about that," he said. "Yes, Musk is not elected. He has no accountability other than Donald Trump, and that‘s a frightening combination."
"I don‘t want to cross my fingers," Phillips added. "I think Democrats should join the club and then have more credibility to raise the alarm about constitutional issues. Right now, it‘s the boy who cried wolf."