Elon Musk has shared an old video of former U.S. President Barack Obama, in which he talks about cutting government waste and unnecessary spending. About two-minutes, twenty-five seconds long, the clip is originally from Obama’s time in office. It resurfaced on social media after an X user MAZE @mazemoore posted it. The post drew Musk’s attention who shared it on his timeline with a caption that reads “Obama sounds exactly like @DOGE!!”.
What Barack Obama said about government’s ‘stupid spending’
In the video, Obama stresses the importance of making tough budget decisions, acknowledging that reducing the deficit requires cutting back on programs that many people care about. However, he emphasizes that eliminating “pointless waste and stupid spending” should be an obvious choice, regardless of the deficit situation.
He said: “Everyone knows that getting rid of the deficit requires some tough decision. And that includes cutting back on billions of dollars in programs that a lot of people care about. But what should be easy is getting rid of the pointless waste and stupid spending that doesn’t benefit anybody”.
Adding further, he stated: “Sure, some of these cuts aren’t that big, but no amount of waste is acceptable. Not when it’s your money”. He then highlights examples of unnecessary government expenses, such as a taxpayer-funded website for a folk music band made up of forest rangers and empty buildings owned by the government that remain unsold due to bureaucratic red tape.
“Did you know that the federal government pays for a website devoted to a folk music ensemble made up of forest rangers? They’re called the fiddland foresters. I’ll put their music on my iPod, but I’m not paying for their website, and there are hundreds of similar sites that we should consolidate or just get rid of,” Obama says in the clip.
He also mentions a new initiative at the time, the “Campaign to Cut Waste,” led by then-Vice President Joe Biden, aimed at eliminating misspent tax dollars across government agencies.
“We need to step up our game. We need to go after every dime. We need to make government work for you. That’s why starting today. I’ve asked the vice president to lead a renewed effort to hunt down misspent tax dollars in every agency and department of this government. We’re calling it the campaign to cut waste, and I know Joe’s the right man to lead it because nobody messes with Joe.”
