Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) acknowledged on Sunday that Tesla CEO and X owner Elon Musk was “right” about the need to cut government spending, specifically referencing waste within the Department of Defense.

Sanders pointed to the Pentagon’s recent financial mismanagement, which includes failing its seventh consecutive audit.

In a post on X, Sanders criticized the Pentagon for its inability to account for billions of dollars in its budget.

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“Elon Musk is right,” Sanders wrote. “The Pentagon, with a budget of $886 billion, just failed its 7th audit in a row. It’s lost track of billions.”

The Pentagon’s inability to account for its massive budget has drawn scrutiny from across the political spectrum.

The Department of Defense failed its seventh audit in November and could not account for its $824 billion budget for 2024.

Sanders noted that in 2023, only 13 senators voted against what he described as a “defense budget full of waste and fraud.” Calling for change, he highlighted the bipartisan issue of military overspending.

Elon Musk is right.

The Pentagon, with a budget of $886 billion, just failed its 7th audit in a row. It’s lost track of billions.

Last year, only 13 senators voted against the Military Industrial Complex and a defense budget full of waste and fraud.

That must change.

— Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) December 1, 2024

President-elect Donald Trump recently tapped Elon Musk and former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy to co-lead the newly created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

The initiative aims to address wasteful government spending and improve financial accountability.

In response to Sanders’ remarks, Musk’s America super PAC emphasized the nonpartisan nature of fiscal responsibility. “Sensible spending is not a partisan issue,” the PAC posted on X. “The general public supports @DOGE holding government accountable to spend taxpayer money more wisely.”

Sensible spending is not a partisan issue.

The general public supports @DOGE holding government accountable to spend taxpayer money more wisely. https://t.co/fYJDQPmb9m

— America (@america) December 1, 2024

Musk and Ramaswamy detailed their plans for DOGE in a jointly written op-ed published in The Wall Street Journal.

The pair described themselves as “entrepreneurs, not politicians,” and said their role would be as “outside volunteers” focused on cutting government costs.

“We are assisting the Trump transition team to identify and hire a lean team of small-government crusaders, including some of the sharpest technical and legal minds in America,” they wrote.

The two outlined three main areas of focus for DOGE:

• Regulatory Rescissions – Identifying outdated or unnecessary regulations.
• Administrative Reductions – Streamlining government operations.
• Cost Savings – Implementing measures to reduce waste across federal agencies.

They also emphasized their intent to achieve reforms through executive action, leveraging existing legislation to drive change rather than pushing for new laws.

Sanders’ unexpected alignment with Musk underscores the growing bipartisan frustration with government inefficiency and overspending.

With the Pentagon under renewed scrutiny and the incoming Trump administration prioritizing cost-cutting measures, DOGE is expected to play a significant role in reshaping the federal government’s approach to spending.

Musk and Ramaswamy’s collaboration signals a unique partnership between entrepreneurial expertise and public policy, aiming to hold federal agencies accountable while delivering value to taxpayers.