Fox News Host Clashes With Dem Senator in Heated DOGE Debate: ‘I Can't Get a Word In!'

Yahoo

03-04-2025

A Democratic senator corrected a Fox News host three times for attempting to misquote him in a shouty back and forth about the work of Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency.
Delaware's Chris Coons butted heads with Martha MacCallum on The Story With Martha MacCallum on Wednesday after the host played a clip of Musk and his slightly older DOGE goons from Bret Baier's Special Report last week.
After playing the clip MacCallum said it was 'surprising' that Coons thinks the government is functioning 'in an efficient way.' The temperature began to rise at this point, as the senator repeatedly told the host he didn't actually say, or insinuate, that.
'That's not what I said,' he snapped back. 'That's not what I said... Martha, Martha,' he added, trying to set the record straight as the host shook her head and rolled her eyes.
'There are inspector generals in every government agency...' Coons said, trying to make the point that he favors a subtler approach to reforming government efficiency.
His attempt at a clarification was met by withering sarcasm from MacCallum. 'Oh, I know,' she responded. 'They've done a fantastic, bang-up job.'
'To start the administration by firing all of them does not suggest a deep interest to these career non-partisan inspectors general about waste,' Coons added, before MacCallum accused him of putting his fingers in his ears and singing 'blah, blah, blah. It's not happening!'
He then again said that was not his point and tried to tell the host what he actually meant. 'Let me repeat the point,' Coons said. 'If Elon Musk says that Social Security is a Ponzi scheme and this president has fired the relevant inspectors general, who are the people most capable—not a bunch of 20-year-old software engineers with no previous government experience...'
MacCallum appeared particularly perturbed by his comment, almost losing her cool. She barked back: 'Why are they the most capable? Did you watch this interview, senator? Did you watch the interview? Did you watch the interview?'
Coons said he wasn't sure what interview she was talking about because the host was 'yelling so much.'
'You're yelling so much,' he said with a smile.
'Because I can't get a word in edgewise!' she shot back. 'I'm trying to ask you a question, that's my job,' she added, before mischaracterizing Coons' point a third time.
'I remember an active interest by Democrats in saying 'you know what? We know there's a lot of waste in our government,' now you're telling me there isn't!' she said.
'That's not at all what I said,' he responded, before adding: 'I agree with you that there is waste and fraud in different federal programs. Sign me up for working in a measured, bipartisan, thoughtful way.'
In the Special Report clip, one DOGER—Aram Moghaddassi—claimed he discovered that 40 percent of the calls made to the SSA are from fraud centers and lead to scams. Another claimed there are more than 15 million people that are over the age of 120 marked as alive in the Social Security system. These claims have been questioned and debunked.
MacCallum asked Coons if he was 'shocked' by the assertions in the interview. But his assertion that he didn't believe the DOGE claims turned the interview fiery.
'So, Martha, not only do I not believe some of what was just shared there, but the Trump administration's acting administrator of Social Security has said that less than one-tenth of 1 percent of the payments put out by the Social Security Administration are fraudulent or in error,' replied Coons.
'I don't believe what DOGE says about virtually any federal agency, but I will believe what the GAO [Government Accountability Office] says, or the inspector general or the administrator of Social Security—'
'Why? Can I ask you why? Can I ask you why?' MacCallum interrupted again, shaking her head.
He said he has had senior DOGE members 'lie to his face.'
The pair traded pointed looks, sarcastic smiles, and eye rolls. MacCallum continued to try to interrupt her guest throughout the interview, and it reached its zenith when Coons told the host she was 'yelling' too much.