Republican Sen. Markwayne Mullin offered some cold comfort to his own constituents who have been dismissed from their federal jobs and are struggling to pay their bills.
During an interview with NBC News’ Kirsten Welker on Meet the Press Sunday, the Oklahoma lawmaker delivered a harsh response to the claim that thousands of people faced mounting costs after being fired as part of Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency cuts.
“I would tell you that the majority of American people want to make sure that their taxpayers are being used correctly,” he told NBC News after he was asked what message he would send to the “people in Oklahoma” who were “hurting” after losing their jobs.
“I don’t want anybody to lose their job,” he continued. “That’s the last thing we want. But at the same time, any time you’re trying to secure this country, which is a national security risk we have right now in our national debt, we have to make changes, and we have to make it quickly.”
He blamed officials acting under the Biden administration for failing to take notice of “waste” and cutting the national debt.
“We have to actually look any further than USAID to see the wasteful billions of dollars that were spent. Cuts had to take place,” he said.
He also managed to squeeze in some special praise for Elon Musk’s newly created DOGE that is radically slashing bills and wiping out thousands of jobs.
“Every business owner understands that you have to get your house in order before you can advance,” he said. “That’s exactly what DOGE is doing.”
DOGE said this week it had made $55 billion in savings, but the figures have been proven to be misleading by multiple sources.
Meanwhile, several unions are preparing lawsuits to block mass firings, according to the Associated Press.
In a separate news report on ABC’s This Week, Martha Raddatz interviewed three former federal workers who said they were sacked in abrupt circumstances.
“I’ve certainly never lost a job with this kind of notice,” a former employee of the Environmental Protection Agency said. “It should be done with more dignity than this. It’s all I ask for.”
