Democratic Representative Kweisi Mfume of Maryland is under fire from conservatives after suggesting a “street fight” was needed at a protest against Elon Musk’s newly formed DOGE office, which aims to cut government waste.
Fox News reports, speaking at a rally outside a Social Security office in Baltimore, Mfume stated the opposition to DOGE would be “a congressional fight, a constitutional fight, a legal fight, and on days like this a street fight, yes we will stand.” Mfume, who succeeded the late Rep. Elijah Cummings, also quipped that DOGE stands for “the department of government evil.”
The remarks quickly drew criticism. Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) wrote on X, formerly Twitter, “A ‘street fight’ to stop cuts to wasteful spending? Those are fighting words. And they’re not honorable words.” Others accused Mfume of inciting violence, with some drawing comparisons to past accusations against Donald Trump.
The Trump White House rapid response team also posted on X, “WATCH: @RepKweisiMfume (D-MD) riles his supporters up for a ‘street fight’ against President Trump’s agenda on rooting out government waste and corruption.”
In response, a spokesperson for Mfume told Fox News Digital that the congressman’s “street fight” comment referred to engaging voters, explaining, “Congressman Mfume was talking about going neighbor to neighbor and person to person to fight to win the hearts, minds, and souls of disaffected voters who didn’t participate in the last election.” The spokesperson added that Mfume supports efforts to cut government waste and fraud, citing his work as Ranking Member of the House Oversight Subcommittee on Government Operations.
The controversy comes as the Trump administration and Elon Musk target the Social Security Administration as part of the DOGE initiative. Democrats, including Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), have largely opposed DOGE, with Van Hollen telling the Baltimore crowd, “We have one simple message, which is: Elon Musk, keep your hands off our Social Security.” He also accused Musk of conducting “illegal raids on federal agencies.”
Musk and other Republicans argue that substantial waste exists within federal entitlement programs. Musk has stated that the fraud in federal entitlements “exceeds the combined sum of every private scam you’ve ever heard by FAR.” Senator Lee also refuted claims that DOGE seeks to cut Social Security benefits, stating its goal is to “stop waste, fraud, and abuse in government.”
Musk echoed this sentiment, saying, “The goal of auditing the Social Security Administration is to stop the extreme levels of fraud taking place, so that it remains solvent and protects the social security checks of honest Americans!”
Fox News Digital previously reported that the Social Security Administration disbursed approximately $2 billion in fraudulent or improper payments in 2022.
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