WASHINGTON — Republicans in Congress have enthusiastically began teams celebrating the brand new “Department of Government Efficiency” led by billionaires Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy.
However whilst they embrace the DOGE model, most of the lawmakers don’t know its backstory.
HuffPost requested Rep. Aaron Bean (R-Fla.), co-founder of a brand new DOGE caucus, if he was conversant in the web meme that began all of it.
“Uh, vaguely,” he stated. “The dog?”
Musk pitched a Division of Authorities Effectivity this summer time, in a social media publish, after President-elect Donald Trump recommended he may give Musk, Trump’s largest marketing campaign funder, a Cupboard place. The proposed identify was a joking reference to doge (pronounced “dodje”), an web meme that impressed Musk’s favourite cryptocurrency token.
Throughout a 2021 look on “Saturday Night Live,” Musk admitted dogecoin was “a hustle,” tanking its worth. In spite of everything, the token was created as a joke, a satire of meaningless cryptocurrency hypothesis.
The underlying web meme, began in 2010, sometimes reveals a Shiba Inu canine with superimposed textual content representing the canine’s ideas, similar to “wow.” It’s extra a celebration of the canine than a satire, although it typically conveys a realizing, false amazement.
As senators got here and went from the inaugural Senate DOGE caucus assembly with Ramaswamy in a Capitol workplace constructing on Thursday, a number of stated they had been unaware of the meme.
“I did read it somewhere,” Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) stated. “I didn’t know much about it, though.”
Ramaswamy himself declined to remark. Sens. Invoice Hagerty (R-Tenn.) and John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) wouldn’t say a phrase. And Senate DOGE caucus founder Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), who’s beneath intense stress to say whether or not she helps Trump’s controversial decide for protection secretary, stated she wasn’t taking any questions.
Different senators had been prepared to speak about doge and to take a look at the meme.
“Is that Elon’s dog?” Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) joked when a reporter confirmed him some doge photographs.
Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.) stated he was unfamiliar with the meme, however when he noticed the images, he laughed and stated he truly had seen it earlier than. He was completely satisfied.
“I’ve got a dog myself,” Schmitt stated. “I’m a big fan of the canines.”
Of the dozen DOGE-enthusiast lawmakers HuffPost queried, solely Sen. Ted Budd (R-N.C.) positively knew the meme. He even knew that the canine within the unique photographs, Kabosu, died earlier this yr.
“God rest her soul,” Budd stated.
It’s not clear whether or not the Division of Authorities Effectivity, which isn’t truly a part of the federal government, will ever be something greater than simply one other advisory panel that makes suggestions lawmakers ignore. Ramaswamy and Musk have made doubtful claims that they may simply slash trillions of {dollars} from the federal price range and that they may even recommend govt actions Trump may take to make it occur with out Congress’ approval.
Republicans appear to be embracing DOGE as a enjoyable rebranding of their very own long-standing want to slash federal spending. Nonetheless, some have expressed skepticism that DOGE can lower spending with out Congress, which has constitutional authority to regulate taxes and spending.
“They’re more of an advisory group that works behind the scenes with the White House,” Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) instructed reporters Thursday.
On the opposite facet of the Capitol, forward of one other occasion with Musk and Ramaswamy, Home Methods and Means Chair Jason Smith (R-Mo.) talked up DOGE and the virtues of presidency effectivity in a stay TV interview simply off the Home flooring. Afterward, he instructed HuffPost he wasn’t conversant in the meme.
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“I haven’t had time to be on social media,” Smith stated. “I’ve been working for the American people.”
Illustration by Arthur Delaney
