Over the weekend, Senator Markwayne Mullin, a Republican from Oklahoma, stated that the American government’s ever-increasing national debt is becoming a significant risk to the nation’s security.
When Mullin was asked about Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) reducing unnecessary spending in other agencies and departments, he made these statements during an interview that took place on Sunday on ABC News’ “This Week” with Jonathan Karl.
“We hate that anybody’s losing their job, but at the same time, we know that the debt that we have in this country is not manageable, and it’s becoming a national security risk, and we’re spending nearly a trillion dollars a year just in servicing the debt. That is scary. We’re spending more on interest payments than we are in our Defense Department now.” Mullin said.
“Anybody will tell you that is a road for disaster. So any time you take over a situation like Elon Musk has had many opportunities and many experiences with taking over businesses, you had to start cutting some of the fat.” he added.
“And unfortunately, the number one expense we have in the United States government right now is payroll, and when you start cutting departments, some people’s jobs are lost. And it hurts us because we don’t want anybody to lose their job. But at the same time, we have to get it under control because if we don’t get our debt underneath control, it becomes a national security — can you imagine if we get downgraded?” he concluded.
When asked about Elon Musk’s efforts to layoff federal employees, GOP Sen. Mullin tells @JonKarl the move is necessary to control debt.
“It hurts us because we don’t want anybody to lose their job. But at the same time, we have to get it under control.” https://t.co/MbYZfpYm86 pic.twitter.com/hzC1q8umzS
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) February 16, 2025
He went on to state that if the United States were to see a fall in its credit rating and the dollar began to lose its value, it would have the potential to bring about catastrophic economic results for the nation.
“Our buying power, the ability to invest into the country, the ability to invest in our military starts shrinking, and then we start losing the strength part when we start wanting to be at the negotiating table from peace through strength,” Mullin said.
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