Elon Musk fired back at critics of his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) last week by sharing a resurfaced clip of former President Barack Obama announcing a nearly identical initiative over a decade ago.
Taking to his X platform, Musk reposted a 2011 video of Obama launching the “Campaign to Cut Waste,” an effort to reduce unnecessary government spending. Musk captioned it, noting the similarities: “Sounds exactly like DOGE.” In the video, Obama even joked that he was putting then–Vice President Joe Biden in charge of the campaign, saying, “Nobody messes with Joe.”
Obama highlighted several examples of what he called “pointless waste and stupid spending that doesn’t benefit anybody” uncovered early in the campaign—including the continued funding of a website for a folk music group called the “Fiddlin’ Foresters.”
“No amount of waste is acceptable, especially when it’s your money,” Obama said. “Just as families are living within their means, government should too.” Facing criticism that his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is taking a chainsaw approach—slashing entire agencies and laying off thousands—Elon Musk shared the Obama clip in an effort to draw parallels. He framed it as a reminder that even Democrats once praised making “tough decisions” to cut government waste.
“Everyone knows that getting rid of the deficit will require some tough decisions, and that includes cutting back on billions of dollars in programs that a lot of people care about,” Obama said in the newly resurfaced video.
While some praised the comparison, others on X pushed back, arguing that Obama’s cost-cutting efforts—such as reducing spending on unused federal buildings—were not equivalent to Musk’s more aggressive, slash-and-burn strategy.
The clip of Obama was originally recorded as he prepared for his 2012 re-election campaign. Some commenters on Musk’s repost argued that the initiative ultimately had little impact on curbing federal spending.
Podcaster Joe Rogan responded to the clip by noting that it “took 14 years and Elon Musk and Donald Trump for the talk to become action.”
In his announcement, Obama stated that the initiative was aimed at “getting rid of the deficit.” However, during his eight years in the White House, the federal budget deficit rose by 58 percent, adding more than $6.7 trillion to the national debt. He went on to say in the clip that some spending the U.S. “should be getting rid of even if we didn’t have a deficit.” The 44th president went on to spotlight additional targets for cuts, including “thousands of buildings across the country that no one uses,” as part of his effort to reduce government waste.
After Obama said his then-vice president was being put in charge of the initiative to “hunt down misspent tax dollars in every agency and department of this government,” Biden appeared in the video pledging to tackle spending with a “relentless focus.”
“We’re holding ourselves accountable, and we’re deeply committed and focused on making government function better,” he said. The resurfacing of the clip comes as DOGE continues to spark sharp debate in both Washington and across the country.
Supporters of Musk and President Trump have applauded the elimination of costly, low-impact programs, viewing the cuts as a long-overdue effort to rein in government excess. Critics, however, argue that the sweeping reductions have also slashed essential and legitimate spending.
Also, several lawsuits have been filed by government unions and various left-wing organizations in an effort to block Trump and Musk from slashing agencies and personnel. Most of them have been successful thus far, but the Trump administration is in the process of appealing several, with some cases expected to eventually be heard by the U.S. Supreme Court.
As for the mood of the country regarding the cuts, polls show most Americans are in favor of them.
