Doug Burgum on Government Cuts: If Democrats Are Going To Give Us This Chance, Let’s Take Advantage
Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum commented on the government shutdown in an interview with John Roberts on FOX News Channel.
JOHN ROBERTS, FOX NEWS: Uh, but President Trump appears to also see some opportunity here, Mr. Secretary. This is what he sent out today on Truth Social. I have a meeting today with Russ Vogt, he of Project 2025 fame, the OMB director, to determine which of many Democrat agencies, most of which are a political scam, he recommends to be cut, and whether or not those cuts will be temporary or permanent. I can’t believe the radical-left Democrats gave me this unprecedented opportunity. They’re not stupid people, so maybe this is their way of wanting to quietly and quickly make America great again, President Donald J. Trump. Is this going to be the pressure that causes Democrats to cave? INTERIOR SECRETARY DOUG BURGUM: Well, it’s the pressure, but it’s also the truth. I mean, President Trump named his social media for a reason, calling them truths, because what he said is completely true. It is easier to make cuts during a time when the government is shut down, and any one of us that have been in these positions that have worked in the private sector can see the amount of inefficiency in government. There’s so much that we can take out of government in terms of cost and still deliver great services. It’s possible to have a smaller government and better services. We can do that. I mean, you take a look at the IT side of things. I mean, the technology that’s running the federal government today is so ancient, so old, generations behind, and so it’s costly. Every single team member that works for the federal government might spend 20% of their time on working on stuff that could be in the private sector would already be automated. So President Trump and Russ Vought, you know, I’m 100% behind their efforts. There’s so many ways we could make it more efficient. If the Democrats are going to give us this chance, let’s make sure we take advantage of that.
