Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, recently appointed to head a new House subcommittee on government efficiency, made headlines on Sunday with her bold proposal regarding sanctuary cities and states. Speaking on Fox News’s Sunday Morning Futures, Greene, a Republican from Georgia, suggested that states and cities that refuse to cooperate with federal immigration authorities and offer safe havens for illegal immigrants should be required to justify their continued receipt of federal tax dollars.
Greene’s comments were made during a segment with host Maria Bartiromo, where she outlined her plans for reducing government spending. As the head of the subcommittee, Greene’s focus will be on cutting wasteful programs, with particular attention to the border crisis and drug smuggling issues, which she attributes to the policies of President Biden and Vice President Harris.
One of her primary concerns is holding sanctuary states and cities accountable for harboring illegal immigrants. “I’d like to talk to the governors of sanctuary states and the mayors of sanctuary cities and have them come before our committee and explain why they deserve federal dollars if they’re going to harbor illegal criminal aliens in their states and their cities,” Greene explained. She highlighted the tragic case of Laken Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student murdered in February 2023 by Jose Ibarra, an illegal immigrant from Venezuela. Ibarra had been allowed to travel on a “humanitarian flight” from New York City to Atlanta, underscoring Greene’s argument about the dangers of sanctuary policies.
Greene also discussed how her subcommittee plans to reduce government expenditures. She proposed cutting ineffective government programs, contracts, employees, and grant initiatives that are no longer serving the public’s best interests. “The way to do that is to cut programs, contracts, employees, grant programs, you name it, that are failing the American people,” Greene said.
A key target for the subcommittee’s review will be government-funded media outlets, such as National Public Radio, which Greene criticized for what she described as “Democrat propaganda.” She also stressed the need to reassess government contracts and programs, questioning whether they continue to be relevant or beneficial.
Another area of concern is the rise of remote work, which Greene highlighted as a continuing issue since the COVID-19 pandemic. She pointed out that despite remote work becoming common in both the public and private sectors, many government workers have persisted in working from home, even while federal buildings remain underused. Greene criticized the federal government’s spending of over $15 billion annually on buildings that are largely vacant.
“These are failures in the federal government’s service to the American taxpayer,” Greene remarked. She emphasized that her subcommittee would focus on finding the facts and ensuring that taxpayer dollars are being spent wisely, without regard for political sensitivity.
The subcommittee’s work will be closely tied to the newly re-established Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a reform initiative led by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy. According to a statement from President-elect Trump, DOGE’s mission is to reduce the size of the federal government, eliminate unnecessary regulations, and restructure federal agencies. Musk, a vocal advocate for reducing government bureaucracy, declared that DOGE would send “shockwaves” through the system and tackle government waste head-on.
Together, Greene, Musk, and Ramaswamy are positioning themselves to drive a comprehensive overhaul of federal government operations, aiming to cut waste and improve efficiency for the American people.