This article may contain commentary
which reflects the author’s opinion.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Democrats plan to reverse the majority of federal spending cuts made under the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) if they regain some influence in upcoming budget negotiations, according to remarks he made this week.
Schumer, a New York Democrat, spoke Friday at an event hosted by the left-wing Center for American Progress, where he outlined Democratic priorities for fiscal year 2026 spending bills. On the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development (THUD) budget, he said Democratic negotiators “will restore most of the cuts and even go higher than previous years on many of the programs that DOGE slashed.”
“If you look at the budget actually, we’re working on right now — and we’ll have the T-HUD budget, you know, transportation and HUD budget, we restore most of the cuts and even go higher than previous years on many of the programs that DOGE slashed,” Schumer said, per Breitbart News.
DOGE, a federal office created under the previous administration to identify savings and reduce spending across government agencies, made a series of reductions in program funding that drew criticism from Democrats.
Schumer acknowledged that final appropriations language for the THUD bill has not yet been released but said Democrats are pushing to both undo cuts and secure additional funding.
Schumer did not specify which programs would see restored or increased funding, but his comments reflect broader Democratic opposition to DOGE-driven cuts, particularly in areas such as housing, transportation and community development.
The minority leader framed the effort as part of a bipartisan push to negotiate overall federal spending levels and said lawmakers are working across the aisle to reach agreement on key appropriations bills.
WATCH:
Republicans have defended DOGE’s cost-saving efforts, arguing that reducing federal spending is necessary to rein in deficits and improve government efficiency. Schumer’s remarks signal that a Democratic majority or leverage in budget talks could lead to significant reversals of those policies.
The DOGE office was dissolved in November with eight months remaining in its mandate, federal officials confirmed. Office of Personnel Management Director Scott Kupor told Reuters earlier this month that DOGE “doesn’t exist” as a “centralized entity,” indicating that the initiative has effectively ended.
Musk left his DOGE post in May in a controversial move, highly criticizing Trump at the time though the two have since reconciled. Ramaswamy decided to step away from DOGE to campaign for governor of Ohio.
In an X post, Kupor accused Reuters of selectively editing his full remarks to create a more “grabbing” headline, adding that the principles behind DOGE remain very much alive under Trump.
“The truth is: DOGE may not have centralized leadership under @USDS,” he wrote on the platform. “But, the principles of DOGE remain alive and well: de-regulation; eliminating fraud, waste and abuse; re-shaping the federal workforce; making efficiency a first-class citizen; etc. DOGE catalyzed these changes; the agencies along with @USOPM and @WHOMB will institutionalize them!”
White House Assistant Press Secretary Liz Huston informed the National News Desk that Trump remains dedicated to fulfilling his promise to minimize waste and fraud within the government.
“President Trump was given a clear mandate to reduce waste, fraud, and abuse across the federal government, and he continues to actively deliver on that commitment,” she said in a statement, per WGME.
“Their work will conclude no later than July 4, 2026 – A smaller Government, with more efficiency and less bureaucracy, will be the perfect gift to America on the 250th Anniversary of The Declaration of Independence,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “I am confident they will succeed!”
Federal prosecutors in October announced new criminal charges against two more suspects in the violent summer attack that left former Department of Government Efficiency worker Edward “Big Balls” Coristine severely injured, in a case that has fueled public anger over violent youth crime in the nation’s capital.
