Kevin O'Leary on DOGE: 'Keep hacking while you have a 24-month mandate before the midterms'
“Shark Tank” investor Kevin O’Leary said President Trump and tech billionaire Elon Musk are not working fast enough to make the sweeping cuts they are proposing in relation to the federal workforce and government agencies.
In a panel discussion with CNN's Abby Phillip, O’Leary said Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) commission should take advantage of the “24-month mandate” they have before the midterm elections, when Republicans could lose their majorities in the House and Senate.
“Keep slashing, keep hacking, while you have a 24-month mandate before the midterms,” O’Leary said. “Cut, cut, cut, cut, cut, more, more cutting. Believe me, it's going to work out just great. Everybody should be happy about this.”
Asked whether they should be cutting people with nuclear codes, too, O’Leary said, “Cut everything.”
“Because if you don't see what they're doing, and they can't show you that they're adding value, you whack,” he continued.
O’Leary said DOGE should be cutting more, invoking a concept in private equity that calls for more cuts in order to determine where the excess lies in a bankrupt organization.
“I think the issue is they're not whacking enough,” O’Leary said. “There's this concept in private equity, when you get a bankrupt company and you go in there, you cut 20 percent more than your initial read, and then you find, like a pool of mercury, the organization gels back together again.”
“Always cut deeper, harder when there's fat and waste,” he added.
DOGE, which is facing multiple lawsuits related to its efforts, said in a post on its website this week that it found $55 billion in savings. In an executive order signed last week, Trump directed federal agencies to prepare for “large-scale reductions in force” and instructed DOGE personnel to develop new hiring plans.
O’Leary said that, at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) — among the latest organizations facing major cuts, with “hundreds” of probationary workers getting fired — the problem is “not the people” but is, instead, the code. He said the technology needs to be upgraded to make it safer.
“All of these agencies are like big fat chickens dripping over barbecues of fat. This is the best barbecue I've ever seen. But I don't think it's happening fast enough,” O’Leary said. “They're not cutting enough.”
A panelist pushed back on O’Leary, pointing to reporting that Musk had to rehire employees he fired after he realized they were essential to the agency’s operation.
“OK, he gets it wrong once in a while. Big deal. So what? That’s 10 percent of the time,” O’Leary responded.
Topics
-
How We’re Keeping Tabs on DOGE
On this special episode of Uncanny Valley, WIRED’s politics editor and global editorial director catch us up on Elon Musk’s involvement in the Trump administration.Wired - Feb. 13 -
Tesla shares have plunged while Musk takes on Washington. Is that the reason?
Shares of Elon Musk's Tesla electric car company have fallen sharply, leading some investors to wonder if the drop is related to his cost-cutting work in Washington.ABC News - Feb. 13 -
Dozens of recruits have died nationwide while training to become police officers
At least 29 recruits have died during basic training at law enforcement academies nationwide in the last decadeABC News - 2d -
Doctor calls Trump's vaccine order "theater" because no schools have COVID vaccine mandates
President Trump signed a largely symbolic executive order on Friday seeking to strip federal funding from schools that require students to be vaccinated against COVID-19. Infectious disease ...CBS News - 5d -
Don’t Think You Have a Personal Brand? Surprise, You Do
Everyone has a personal brand. Whether it’s the one you want is up to you.Inc. - Feb. 8 -
Army Helicopter Might Have Missed Critical Instruction Before Midair Crash
Investigators said that an air traffic controller had instructed the Black Hawk crew to pass behind a nearby passenger jet, but that information might have got lost.The New York Times - 5d -
Report: Shaq, TNT have deal; keep 'Inside' intact
Shaquille O'Neal is staying with TNT Sports on a new contract worth more than $15 million per year, according to a Front Office Sports report.ESPN - 5d -
The White Lotus: everything you need to know before you watch season three
Who are the stars? What plotlines from previous seasons will you need to remember? And whose bum did Arnie love seeing on TV?. It’s won 15 Emmy awards. It turned Jennifer Coolidge into a TV idol ...The Guardian - 3d -
Judge to consider order to keep DOGE from accessing student loan databases
Attorneys for a group of California students cited an Elon Musk tweet in arguing that Musk's DOGE agency should be blocked from accessing federal student loan records.ABC News - Feb. 10
More from The Hill
-
2 students arrested for allegedly plotting 'mass casualty attack' at Houston school, FBI says
Two high school students have been arrested for planning what authorities are calling a “mass casualty attack” at a Houston high school.The Hill - 38m -
IRS lays off 6,700 employees, torpedoing Democratic enforcement boost
The IRS fired 6,700 employees on Thursday, a government official told NewsNation, the sister television network of The Hill. The employees were designated as probationary, meaning they were working ...The Hill - 41m -
Trump administration to investigate California high-speed rail project
Federal officials will be investigating California's high-speed rail plans, with the goal of determining if a portion of the project merits $4 billion in taxpayer funds, the Department of ...The Hill - 52m -
Integrating Russia into the Western security framework is key to long-term stability
The West must make a difficult but necessary choice: to work towards a security order that includes, rather than isolates, Russia.The Hill - 1h -
New York sues major vape companies for targeting kids, teens
New York is suing some of the largest vape distributors for allegedly fueling the country’s youth vaping epidemic. New York Attorney General Letitia James announced the lawsuit against 13 major ...The Hill - 1h
More in Politics
-
2 students arrested for allegedly plotting 'mass casualty attack' at Houston school, FBI says
Two high school students have been arrested for planning what authorities are calling a “mass casualty attack” at a Houston high school.The Hill - 38m -
IRS lays off 6,700 employees, torpedoing Democratic enforcement boost
The IRS fired 6,700 employees on Thursday, a government official told NewsNation, the sister television network of The Hill. The employees were designated as probationary, meaning they were working ...The Hill - 41m -
Trump administration to investigate California high-speed rail project
Federal officials will be investigating California's high-speed rail plans, with the goal of determining if a portion of the project merits $4 billion in taxpayer funds, the Department of ...The Hill - 52m -
Integrating Russia into the Western security framework is key to long-term stability
The West must make a difficult but necessary choice: to work towards a security order that includes, rather than isolates, Russia.The Hill - 1h -
Senate confirms Kash Patel to lead FBI
Politico - 1h