OPINION: How Democrats can turn Trump’s ‘DOGE’ against him

BY BRAD HOWARD, CSG PRESIDENT & ‘THE HILL’ GUEST OPINION WRITER

President-elect Trump’s proposed Department of Government Efficiency or DOGE effort might sound like a meme, but it’s actually a brilliant political move. He is zeroing in on an issue Americans deeply care about — wasteful government spending. That’s a dare Democrats can’t afford to take.

Instead of dismissing Trump’s DOGE as another empty campaign gimmick, Democrats should seize the opportunity to lead on government efficiency. They should make the case that rooting out waste doesn’t mean gutting Social Security, slashing Medicare or ignoring bloated defense budgets. It means making government work better for everyone.

If Democrats play this right, they can expose Republican hypocrisy, win over moderates and prove that effective governance isn’t a Republican talking point — it’s a Democratic strength.