Jacob Ogles
Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis says he will join the Delivering Outstanding Government Efficiency (DOGE) Caucus if elected to Congress.
Patronis, a candidate in the Special Election to replace former U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz, said he intends to join lawmakers focused on identifying ways to cut costs and regulations. The caucus formed after President-elect Donald Trump named tech entrepreneurs Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy to head the planned Department of Government Efficiency.
“If Washington had the customer service of a Mar-a-Lago and the operational output of a Tesla factory, then maybe Americans would feel better about how their taxpayer money was being used. But, that’s not the case,” Patronis said.
The Cabinet member said he would bring expertise to the DOGE Caucus when it comes to managing government agencies. He currently oversees about 1,500 state employees.
He also adopted certain stances Musk and Ramaswamy have already taken, such as condemning work-from-home practices in place in federal agencies since the COVID pandemic in 2020. By comparison, Patronis said he deployed telework strategies at the height of the pandemic but brought workers back after the “worst of the pandemic passed” and then created a hybrid teleworking agreement for only those employees running a consumer hotline.
“Americans are working long hours and sending their cash to a bloated, barely functioning federal bureaucracy,” Patronis said.
“Reports that only 6% of federal employees are working in the office on a full-time basis are infuriating. It’s not sustainable. It’s horrible for developing team synergy, and frankly, when we’ve got men and women throughout the U.S. working hard jobs who can’t phone-it-in, so we don’t need the public servants who are supposed to support them working in their pajamas. If entire sectors of the federal workforce can telework, then those jobs should be contracted out. Let’s reduce the government’s footprint and return money back to taxpayers in the Panhandle.”
Patronis has notably showered praise on Musk before, nominating the SpaceX and Starlink CEO for a Nobel Peace Prize. But he has also raised concerns about the parking of electric cars, including Tesla vehicles, in homes during hurricanes and other flood events.
Patronis is one of 10 Republicans running in a Special Primary on Jan. 28. The winner will advance to an April 1 Special General Election to determine who represents Florida’s 1st Congressional District in Congress.
Located in the Panhandle and anchored by Pensacola, CD 1 is one of the most conservative districts in the state. Gaetz was elected to the seat in 2016, winning more than 69% of the vote. This year, he won with 66% of the vote. More than 53% of the electorate is registered as a Republican, according to the most recent L2 voter data. Only 22% of the district’s voters are registered as Democrats.
