"So-called cuts this week. And so it taints things that otherwise might have been a chance to sit down with Bernie Sanders and aoc and say, hey, you guys have had bills for a decade about where we could trim the Pentagon. Why Don’t We do this with Congress in a serious way? So let’s start there again, me being trying to be as open minded as possible. What about that tension?
I appreciate.
Your open mindedness.
And.
It’s an important feature.
To have us. I not.
That way because.
I know.
What this.
Is about.
This is about the.
Emasculation of.
Our government. This is about a.
Power grab.
And a. redistribution of income.
To meet.
A particular end, which. Is furnishing the dollars of making.
Those available.
For the.
$8 trillion tax.
Cut that.
Expires this year from 2017.
And then additional cuts.
That this president.
Wants to make in other programs.
And to. Use those dollars.
For things.
That are.
Not clearly defined.

But you are right, ari, in your initial assessment, that if you were serious.
Donald Trump.
About the efficiencies and the fraud and waste, that would include the contracts that Elon Musk has, that would include the contracts that others that are a part of your administration or business dealings that they may have would come under that same level of scrutiny.

Yeah. And I’ll let you finish. But it would include people like Chuck Grassley, who spent decades working with the inspector general, not ousting them because they’re a check on Donald Trump and Elon Musk and those shenanigans. We don’t see those people at the table.

No, we do not.

And that goes to. The most.
Important point, if you are serious about these things, then what you do is you on the first week or so, you sit down with Republican leadership and democratic leadership, and you say during the transition, our team identified these areas we want to begin to look at. We want to begin a precision sort of effort of streamlining some departments. Yes, there are departments that have, you know, employment positions that are open that have not been filled, but the budget item is still there. Those are cost savings that could come back to the to the taxpayers, if you will. But by not filling those positions, you just don’t leave that line item sitting there in the budget. Then there are other positions that can be consolidated, other programs that can be consolidated. Having done such an endeavor. And when I was in office as lieutenant governor working with Bob Ehrlich, we made such initial efforts in state government, as governors do around the country. There is a process, ari, that you are very familiar with that can. Sure telegraph to the country your intent and people will know you’re serious, right.
And why are we doing it rather than, oh, we’re going to cut indiscriminately. We’re going to funnel money back to Musk’s crypto, Musk’s companies, Donald Trump’s crypto, which has not been transparent, and then ultimately donors through that transfer of wealth. Right. That'