FIRST ON FOX: Elon Musk gathered with dozens of GOP senators for lunch at the Capitol on Wednesday, where he shared updates on the progress of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which has been aggressively auditing the federal government and slashing waste.
Musk told the roughly 40 senators in attendance that DOGE’s efforts were saving about $4 million per day, a source in the room told Fox News Digital.
The discussion took place during a weekly lunch hosted by Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., chairman of the Republican Senate Steering Committee.
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Elon Musk, left, met with nearly all Senate Republicans at the Capitol on Wednesday. (Getty Images)
The Tesla and SpaceX CEO also joked that you don’t need to be a detective, like “Sherlock Holmes,” in order to find waste, fraud or abuse in the government. In fact, he said it’s much easier than some realize, the source added.
In response to a question from Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., regarding government funding that goes to private universities, Musk remarked, “Kim Jong Un has a lot to learn from elite universities” when it comes to developing propaganda, the source said.
The Republicans burst into applause when Musk replied to another question, telling them that they should “frankly delete” the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), according to the source.
NEPA has long been opposed by many Republicans because it allows climate advocacy groups to challenge infrastructure and energy projects in court, delaying them.
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Elon Musk met with members of the Senate DOGE caucus at the White House. (Getty Images)
The law already significantly delays projects through extensive environmental research requirements, which can take several years.
Scrapping NEPA would be a win for Republicans who want to develop and process energy faster, particularly from sources in the U.S.
Musk’s comment on NEPA came in response to a question from Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska.
As DOGE takes heat from Democrats for dramatic federal agency restructuring, Musk spoke kindly of federal workers during the meeting, the source shared.
The X owner, who was recently named special government employee in the Trump administration, said many federal workers are assisting him in identifying fraud and waste.
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The U.S. Capitol is seen lit by the morning sun. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call)
According to Musk, the employees actually want to help find waste in the government, now that they have been “given permission to care.”
Some of those who were absent from the lunch meeting were Sens. Thom Tillis, R-N.C.; Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska; and Bill Cassidy, R-La. There are lunches weekly in the Senate, and it’s common for senators to miss them on occasion.
Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, was also not in attendance because she joined the Republican Study Committee (RSC) for lunch in the House of Representatives.
Representatives for the White House and DOGE did not immediately provide comment to Fox News Digital.
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President Donald Trump speaks as Elon Musk, joined by his son X Æ A-Xii, listens in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 11. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Cassidy has been in close contact with Musk over the phone, through text messages, and in Zoom meetings, a spokesperson told Fox News Digital. The two connected twice in just the last week and have a solid working relationship, they added. Per the spokesperson, the senator is supportive of Musk and DOGE’s mission, but had a prior commitment on Wednesday afternoon.
A spokesperson for Tillis told Fox News Digital, “Sen. Tillis had a previously scheduled meeting that prevented him from attending.”
Murkowski was sick and also missed a hearing Wednesday morning in the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP). Her office said she came into the office later in the afternoon for a markup in the Senate Indian Affairs Committee (SCIA), which she chairs.
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The Musk Senate meeting comes less than a week after members of the chamber’s DOGE caucus traveled to the White House to meet with the billionaire.
