Joe Neguse Questions Tom Cole on Access to DOGE Representatives Amidst CR Debate

CR Funding and Republican Votes

• 🎯 Rep. Joe Neguse criticizes Republicans for lecturing on Continuing Resolution (CR) votes, noting that 30-40 Republican members, including a majority on the Rules Committee, voted against the CR in December.
• 📊 The current CR increases defense spending by approximately $2.5 billion while cutting non-defense spending by roughly $13 billion, primarily affecting Congressional projects rather than programmatic funding.
• ⚠️ The CR does not include $22.8 billion in FY26 advanced funding for the toxic exposure fund, which is intended to be addressed in the FY26 bill.

Concerns Over Federal Agency Dismantling

• 🏛️ Neguse raises concerns about the Trump administration's alleged dismantling of federal agencies and purging of the federal workforce, questioning if Chairman Cole shares these concerns.
• 🚫 Cole denies being concerned about these specific activities within the current bill, stating he would express concerns if he had them.

DOGE Activities and Access

• 📉 Neguse points to DOGE's announced shutdown of multiple federal installations, including Social Security, National Weather Service, and Indian Tribal Health Service offices in Oklahoma, as evidence of agency dismantling.
• 🗣️ He highlights that Cole expressed concern about these closures and engaged the administration, contrasting this with his earlier statement of having no concerns.
• 🤝 Cole defends his actions, stating that members are free to advocate for their beliefs and intervene when they believe something is wrong, drawing a parallel to shutting down a Job Corps Center in his district that was underperforming.

Unilateral Agency Decisions

• ❓ Neguse questions why the Social Security office in Cole's district should be saved if others are being shut down, and asks who Cole contacted to achieve this outcome.
• 📞 Cole states he contacted relevant departments and visited with DOGE representatives, but denies speaking one-on-one with Mr. Musk.
• 🇺🇸 Neguse argues that the federal government should not be run by members of Congress having to ask for favors or waivers from unnamed special employees, especially when decisions are made unilaterally.
• ⚖️ He criticizes the practice of allowing unilateral dismantling of agencies and closures, suggesting it sets a dangerous precedent for future administrations.
• 🗺️ Neguse mentions specific Social Security offices in North Carolina that are slated for closure and asks for contact information for the DOGE staffer Cole spoke with, to help other representatives petition to save these offices.