Victor Davis Hanson: Sorry, Liberals. DOGE Is 100% Legal. Here’s Why.

The Daily Signal Podcast

The Daily Signal

News, Government, Politics, Daily News

4.6 • 1.2K Ratings

🗓️ 11 February 2025

⏱️ 7 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Is the Left taking the bait? While many in the legacy media continue to berate Elon Musk for his role in defunding bloated federal programs and agencies, Donald Trump remains largely unscathed. Is this part of a larger strategy by the president, wonders Victor Davis Hanson on today’s edition of “Victor Davis Hanson: In His Own Words.” “He's more legitimate—or he has more statutory legitimacy—than earlier presidential advisors, like Harry Hopkins, who moved into the White House under the FDR administration, or Bernard Baruch, who basically ran two world wars, in terms of domestic production, under Woodrow Wilson and FDR. So, let's just dispel the idea that he's doing anything unusual. ... “As far as the executive orders that created the DOGE program and eliminated USAID—that was perfectly legal in itself—USAID was created by John F. Kennedy in 1961 by an executive order. There was a statutory direction for the president to disperse foreign aid into a comprehensive body, but it didn't say USAID—he could do whatever he wanted. ... "And so, Donald Trump has decided to end an autonomous USAID and fold it into the State Department for disaster relief or poverty relief or famine relief. ... “All Donald Trump is doing is saying, ‘I don't believe the impoundment act is legal. We'll see what the Supreme Court says—but I'm just following the precedent that Joe Biden did.’ But now, the shoe's on the other foot." For Victor’s latest thoughts, go to: https://victorhanson.com/ Don’t miss out on Victor’s latest videos by subscribing to The Daily Signal today. You’ll be notified every time a new video drops: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHqkXbgqrDrDVInBMSoGQgQ The Daily Signal cannot continue to tell stories like this one without the support of our viewers: https://secured.dailysignal.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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0:29.8	There's a lot of controversy about Elon Musk, and let's just dispel some of it. He is not a
0:34.8	freelancer. He was appointed a government official. Donald Trump,
0:38.8	by an executive order, created the Department of Government Efficiency and only is going to last
0:44.7	till July 4, 2006. It's not a permanent agency. AID was created by John F. Kennedy in
0:52.2	1961 by an executive order.
0:54.7	Let's get straight what Elon Musk is trying to do.
0:57.6	He's going through all of these agencies and finding waste and fraud,
1:02.3	and he has executive authority to do so. Hello, this is Victor Davis-Hanson for the Daily Signal.
1:20.4	I want to revisit the hysteria, controversy, whatever term we use about Elon Musk and his role in the Department
1:28.4	of Government Efficiency or Doge, using that term for the executive officer of Renaissance Florence,
1:36.3	the Italian word Doge is a meme, so to speak. There's a lot of controversy about Elon Musk,
1:42.1	and let's just dispel some of it right at the start.
1:45.2	He is not a freelancer. He was appointed a government official. Donald Trump, by an executive
1:52.2	order, created the Department of Government Efficiency, and he made Elon Musk the head of it,
2:00.0	along with Ramoswami, who now has resigned. Elon Musk the head of it along with Ramoswami who now has resigned Elon Musk has
2:04.5	statutory authority this Department of Government Efficiency is not a cabinet
2:10.9	agency he does not have to be approved by Congress and only is going to last till July 4th,
	...

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