Lawmakers form advisory panel to tackle wasteful spending as skepticism remains

Lawmakers are forming an advisory panel called the Department of Government Efficiency, led by tech CEO Elon Musk and former candidate Vivek Ramaswamy. The goal is to cut wasteful spending and reduce government bureaucracy, with some bipartisan support. While the incoming Trump administration has made promises to cut spending, many proposed changes will need congressional approval. A significant portion of the federal budget is allocated to defense, Medicare, and Social Security, making cuts politically challenging. Experts note that identifying waste is easier than getting Congress to act on it. There is skepticism about whether lawmakers will agree to reduce spending on popular entitlement programs, despite calls for a $2 trillion cut.