WASHINGTON (TNND) — Elon Musk received a warm welcome at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) this week, as he advocated for continued cuts to federal bureaucracy led by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Musk, who was gifted a chainsaw by Argentina’s President Javier Milei, emphasized the ease of finding waste in Washington, D.C.

People ask like how can you find waste in like in DC? I'm like, look, it's like being in a room, uh, you know, and, and this target, the the the wall, the roofs, and the floor are all targets. So it's like you're gonna close your eyes and go shoot in any direction. You see, you can't miss," Musk said.

The Pentagon has temporarily paused a plan that could have resulted in the layoffs of more than 50,000 civilian employees. CNN reported that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is conducting a formal review of the potential impacts of these layoffs.

One of the bigger DOGE stories this week revolved around the potential for rebate checks to be sent out to Americans. An idea to cut checks to taxpayers was floated to Musk on X and was well-received by both him and President Donald Trump.

The amount would depend on actual savings and would require congressional approval, and while the idea sounds politically enticing, House Speaker Mike Johnson expressed skepticism about the proposal.

Politically that would be great for us you know because then everybody gets a check we have a $36 trillion federal debt, we have a giant deficit that we’re contending with I think we need to pay down the credit card," Johnson said while speaking at CPAC.

Some members of Congress are starting to feel some DOGE heat in their home districts. Georgia Republican Rich McCormick faced questions and boos over DOGE job cuts during a town hall in Fulton County. He repeatedly had to start and stop his interactions with the crowd while a packed house became frustrated.

"What are you Congressman and your fellow Congressmen are going to do to reign in the megalomaniac in the White House?" a member of the crowd asked.

McCormick responded, "When you talk about tyranny, I remember having the same discussion with Republicans when Biden was elected."

It elicited some boos from the crowd. The district is north of Atlanta and is an area Trump won in 2024 by more than 20 points.

Two polls released this week showed an overall negative view of Musk. Pew Research found that 54% of respondents had an unfavorable view of Musk, while a Quinnipiac poll indicated that 55% believed Musk’s role in government was too large.