Democrats organize rally in Raleigh opposing DOGE, federal cuts; NCGOP dismisses it as 'stunt'

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- The North Carolina Democratic Party organized a rally Wednesday, voicing its opposition to the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and a string of federal government job cuts.

"We need to let Republicans know how much the cuts are actually hurting North Carolina. That's the point of what we're doing today. And yes, it's specifically targeted at Republicans because my legislative colleagues need to be talking to Senator Tillis, Senator Budd, their Republican colleagues in Congress and saying, Congress, do your job, take care of our people, take care of our state," said Sen. Graig Meyer, a Democrat who represents Orange, Caswell, and Person counties.

The rally, held at Bicentennial Plaza, comes on the heels of the latest layoffs, which saw the Department of Education reduce its workforce by nearly 50% as the Trump Administration works to slash government waste and root out inefficiencies.

"I wouldn't want anyone coming in dictating to me how to do that because I knew it best. I had administrative credentials and degrees. And these people, they have no understanding of how education works," said Gregory Thomas, a former principal who lives in Youngsville.

Other agencies which have seen job cuts include the Internal Revenue Service, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Energy, USAID, Department of Agriculture, and Department of Veteran Affairs.

"There's a lot of disturbance and confusion and questioning about what's going on with the administration right now. And I think people want answers," said Donna Campbell, who lives in Carrboro.

While speakers also addressed topics including Ukraine and redistricting, Elon Musk and DOGE drew the majority of attention.

"I'm sure that we could find efficiencies and better ways to organize our government. But I don't think Elon Musk coming in is the way to do that. I think we have processes," Campbell said.

President Donald Trump established DOGE via Executive Order on his first day in office, placing Tesla co-founder and X owner Musk in charge of its work.

"I think (Musk has done) an excellent job. He hit the ground running from day one," said Wake County GOP Chairwoman Sandy Joiner.

According to its website, as of last week, DOGE stated it had saved $105 billion in governmental funding thus far, though only a portion of receipts had been posted, making the total figure unverifiable at this point.

"It's very important to save the taxpayer's money, to make it more efficient for every single person in America, for businesses," said Joiner.

She supports efforts to bring DOGE to North Carolina, which is the focus of a newly-formed DOGE Committee. In a video posted on X on Monday, House Speaker Destin Hall laid out its goals.

"We're trying to do something similar to what Republicans in Congress are doing, along with Elon Musk, cutting out waste, fraud and abuse. We're looking at local governments here in North Carolina, looking at some of our university system, making sure that your tax dollars are well-spent. Democrats are mad about it," said Hall, who referenced Wednesday's news conference.

Meyer, who spoke at Wednesday's rally, questioned its purpose.

"Republicans have been in control of this state and control the budget since 2010. If they think there's things that they want to work on, then they should work on them in a real way rather than standing up some crazy committee because they want to ride on the Trump coattails. The Trump coattails are dragging North Carolinians through the mud," said Meyer.

In a statement, the NCGOP referred to the rally as a "silly anti-DOGE stunt," writing:

"Democrats didn't hold angry protests when inflation was hurting American families or when western North Carolina desperately needed resources after Hurricane Helene. This is a political party so out of touch with reality, the concept of examining government spending and cutting out waste, fraud, and abuse is what drives them to action.

North Carolinians have made their preference for common sense leadership clear. It's why our state sent President Trump back to the White House, elected three new Republican members of Congress, and returned strong state legislative majorities to Raleigh. Republicans are governing and Democrats are just obstructing."