EXCLUSIVE: A Republican lawmaker has launched a new congressional caucus aimed at working hand-in-hand with President-elect Trump’s soon-to-be DOGE – Department of Government Efficiency.
Rep. Aaron Bean, R-Fla., said he dispatched a "Dear Colleague" letter overnight Tuesday seeking other lawmakers to join him. The practice is standard for members seeking co-sponsors of legislation.
"Taking on Crazytown is no easy task," Bean said. Thus far, Reps. Jeff Van Drew of New Jersey and Ralph Norman of South Carolina have joined the caucus.
"Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy will need partners in Congress to accomplish many of the cuts necessary to rein in the unelected bureaucrats who have had unchecked power for far too long."
BIDEN'S BORDER CRISIS ‘WREAKING HAVOC’ ON K-12 SCHOOLS: TOP LAWMAKER
Bean said the national debt's $36 trillion level "should be a wakeup call for all Americans."
"We must take action to avoid diving headfirst off the cliff of fiscal ruin… Our DOGE Caucus, will work closely with the Department of Government Efficiency to help rein in reckless spending and stop the abuse of taxpayer dollars."
Earlier this month, Trump tapped Musk and Ramaswamy to lead the "DOGE," which the Tesla CEO has widely touted and begun soliciting civilian help for.
Trump said last week he hopes DOGE will become the "Manhattan Project of our time" – in reference to J. Robert Oppenheimer’s secretive atom bomb endeavor during World War II.
"Republican politicians have dreamed about the objectives of ‘DOGE’ for a very long time," Trump said.
In his letter to colleagues, Bean lamented the $6 billion per day the U.S. has borrowed during the Biden-Harris administration, and added that interest accruals on the debt currently exceed the nation’s entire Defense Department budget.
"Republicans must live up to our principle of fiscal responsibility by reining in the spending that is driving both inflation and our unsustainable debt. The DOGE Caucus will bring together members from across our conference who are ready to rein-in unelected bureaucrats and end the over-regulation that has crippled American Main Street.
"When Republicans stick together, we win," Bean said. "Join us in reclaiming our country and Making America Great Again."
RAMASWAMY OUTLINES DOGE'S VISION
In the immediate aftermath of his solicitation being circulated, a representative for Bean’s office said they are still waiting for other lawmakers to take part.
Musk continued sharing examples of government waste he would like to see his new department take on, captioning "Drop the DOGE hammer" on X, formerly Twitter, above a retweet of a Washington Post headline reading "New report estimates U.S. fraud losses exceed $233 billion annually."
Musk also shared a clip Monday of Sen. Rand Paul, R–Ky., speaking about government waste and describing a National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism study that reportedly fed different types of booze to fish, captioned with a furrowed-brow emoji:
"Gin to a sunfish versus tequila – which would make the sunfish more aggressive?"
"Nearly a million dollars spent studying whether or not Japanese Quail, if you give ‘em cocaine… are more sexually promiscuous," Paul added.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
"Sounds like a job for DOGE!" the future department head said over the weekend of a report the Pentagon failed its seventh audit and was unable to account for part of its $824 billion budget.
Trump recently said Musk and Ramaswamy’s work will help the next generation have a solvent future.
"They will work together to liberate our Economy, and make the U.S. Government accountable to ‘We The People’," he said on Nov. 12.
Trump added at the time that his aspiration is for the department's collaborative efforts to culminate on July 4, 2026, in concert with the celebration of America's 250th birthday.
Fox News Digital reached out to Trump, Musk and Ramaswamy via the transition team for additional comment.
