AUSTIN – U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) released the following statement after he joined the Senate DOGE Caucus, founded by Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA), which will work hand in hand with the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to identify and eliminate government waste:

“The national debt has skyrocketed to more than $36 trillion under Leader Schumer and the Biden administration, and about two thirds of federal spending is on auto-pilot, which is neither sustainable nor acceptable,” said Sen. Cornyn. “Congress must responsibly budget, evaluate key priorities, and cut excess spending just like American families and small businesses, and I’m looking forward to working with the Trump administration on this as a founding member of the DOGE Caucus.”

Additional caucus members include Sens. Ted Budd (R-NC), Mike Lee (R-UT), Rick Scott (R-FL), Roger Marshall (R-KS), Eric Schmitt (R-MO), and James Lankford (R-OK). Congressmen Pete Sessions (TX-17) and Aaron Bean (FL-04) are leading the caucus in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Background:

Years of Congress’ unchecked spending have led to the highest inflation in 40 years, adding to our nation’s growing mountain of debt and threatening national security. Federal spending is classified in two categories: mandatory and discretionary. Currently, about 61% of the federal budget is mandatory spending, 26% is discretionary spending, and 13% is interest payments on debt. Sen. Cornyn has been a vocal proponent of reevaluating both mandatory and discretionary spending in order to provide comprehensive solutions to the debt crisis. This caucus will work to identify and eliminate areas of government waste, rein in reckless spending, and improve the lives of American families.