Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., and CNN host Pamela Brown clashed on Tuesday over President Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s efforts to limit government waste as the GOP lawmaker took a shot at CNN’s ratings.
Brown pressed Burchett repeatedly about the Trump administration’s efforts in cutting government waste, and specifically asked if it was fair to say the way it was being done was “clumsy rather than methodical,” and argued that the administration was making “high-stakes mistakes.”
“Humans will make mistakes, ma‘am. But currently, these are bloated programs. You have no-show employees that are angry that they‘re having to go back to work, that they‘ve moved and they‘re not even in the distance of where their original jobs were,” Burchett said as Brown acknowledged that “no one” was disagreeing with getting rid of waste. “Well then why are you all not exposing it?”
Brown insisted that CNN was covering where the money was going “at length.”
Rep. Tim Burchett clashed with CNN’s Pamela Brown on Tuesday over Trump and Musk.
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“All y‘all do is run down Elon Musk and Donald Trump, and you continuously do this. And that‘s why your ratings are in the tank, ma‘am,” Burchett said.
The two clashed throughout their discussion, as Burchett argued that Brown was attacking the messenger, but not the message.
“There are fair questions to be asking, congressman, about these unelected people going in and having access to private information from Americans. How can you not be asking those questions? Those are very fair questions,” Brown said.
“How many people at the IRS are elected? How many of those are elected, ma‘am? You‘re proving my point. You‘ve got all these people, and this is a very porous agency. We know that,” Burchett pushed back.
Trump signed an executive order earlier this month that instructed DOGE to coordinate with federal agencies and execute massive cuts in federal government staffing numbers. (Photo/Alex Brandon) (AP Images)
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Trump signed an executive order earlier this month that instructed DOGE to coordinate with federal agencies and execute massive cuts in federal government staffing numbers.
The cuts have upset Democrats and members of the media, who have accused Trump and Musk of creating a “constitutional crisis” through the administration’s executive actions.
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Musk has said that cutting federal spending is essential.
