Schumer vows to restore DOGE cuts and go even higher on federal program funding levels

House Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said he would push to restore the funding cut by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) — and even increase it to the original amount.

Schumer’s comments came after he was asked Thursday whether he would work to replenish funding for the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) during a forum hosted by the Center for American Progress.

“If you look at the budget that we’re working on right now, we’re restoring most of the cuts. And we’re going even further than previous years on many of the programs that DOGE cut,” Schumer said.

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Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., seen standing outside the Senate chamber. (Aaron Schwartz/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

“We worked very hard and had bipartisan support to increase these amounts and reverse a lot of the cuts that are essential,” he added.

He did not specify what specific programs he hopes to complete.

Lawmakers have not yet released the final text of the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development bill for 2026. The Senate Appropriations Committee has proposed a plan that would increase its FY26 funding by $5 billion over FY25 levels.

Since the Trump administration began cutting DOGE’s budget, Democrats like Schumer have widely condemned them, calling them an attack on government resources and services.

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Elon Musk’s DOGE efforts revealed several examples of wasteful spending (Getty,AP.DOGE/X)

Republicans, by contrast, have framed the effort as a way to eliminate waste, fraud and abuse. According to the DOGE website, the group estimates having eliminated $215 billion in waste.

Republicans formalized $115 billion of those spending cuts through a bill passed last year.

But since then, lawmakers have not proposed further rescission measures, a special type of bill that helps lawmakers speed up spending cuts at the president’s request.

Republicans like House DOGE Caucus Chairman Aaron Bean, R-Fla., say the GOP’s cost-cutting efforts continue in the background.

“DOGE is still alive,” Bean told Fox News Digital in December. “We’ll get him moving. I think that’ll come later.”

Bean noted that several pressing issues have received Congressional attention in recent months.

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Rep. Aaron Bean, R-Fla., leaves a House Republican Conference meeting at the Capitol Hill Club on Tuesday, April 30, 2024. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

“I think, you know, the shutdown set everyone back a little bit. These credits, with the budget, with everything,” Bean said, referring to the COVID-era Obamacare tax credits that were at the heart of the 2025 government shutdown.

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Members of the House and Senate Appropriations committees did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Schumer’s statements.