Ro Khanna supports cutting defense spending in Trump’s DOGE

Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) said that there could be “huge bipartisan cooperation” for President-elect Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) committee in the new year — at least when it comes to cutting defense spending.

“I think when it comes to defense, getting better defense for value and cutting costs, there can be huge bipartisan cooperation,” Khanna said in a Sunday morning ABC appearance.

Trump has named billionaire Elon Musk and former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, two of his close campaign allies, to lead the DOGE.  

Musk has been highly critical of defense spending.

“Our defense budget is pretty gigantic. It’s a trillion dollars,” he said at an event last month. “The interest we owe on the debt is now higher than the defense budget. This is not sustainable.” 

And in a post on the social platform X, Musk pointed to concerns about the F-35 fighter jet program, which long has faced scrutiny for its high cost, production delays and unreliability. 

But there are other areas where Democrats and Musk and Ramaswamy seem likely to battle over the DOGE.

The two entrepreneurs have discussed using the panel to cut $2 trillion annually in spending, something that would be nearly impossible to do.

“These guys are going to get their eyes open,” one Republican lawmaker, granted anonymity to speak candidly, told The Hill after a meeting Musk and Ramaswamy held with Republicans last week.

Khanna’s remarks are consistent with previous statements he’s made about the need to use the DOGE to reduce defense spending.

“We should work with DOGE to rein in waste and fraud, increase competition, and invest in technology that will strengthen our national security,” Khanna said in an earlier statement.

Updated at 9:58 a.m. EST