Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced his plan for the Florida version of DOGE, and EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin discusses his vision for the agency.

Gov. DeSantis says he supports Florida version of DOGE

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis wants a Florida version of the unofficial Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

He spoke Monday morning at The Vault on North Franklin Street in Tampa. 

A bill making it easier for lawmakers to control administrative spending was introduced to the Florida Legislature by Republican State Rep. Tiffany Esposito.

She said the bill would pave the way for a Florida DOGE, or "FLOGE."

The Florida department would be similar to the department currently run by tech billionaire Elon Musk at the federal level.

The Florida DOGE would look to improve the state’s efficiency by looking at three specific things:

• A cost-benefit analysis from new regulations.
• A mandatory eight-year expiration date for outdated rules.
• And expanded legislature oversight on agency rule making.

“We were DOGE when nobody was even talking about it,” DeSantis said. “Before it was even cool to do. We’ve worked hard to make this government as efficient and effective as possible.”

The Florida bill proposal comes as DOGE looks to cut more federal jobs.

Over the weekend, President Donald Trump called on Musk to be more aggressive in finding cost cutting solutions.

Not long after the DeSantis news conference, Rep. Anna Eskamani released a response that said in part: “This is the same Governor who has squandered millions defending unconstitutional laws, inflated his budget with unnecessary election police forces, and funneled taxpayer dollars into partisan electioneering. He has no credibility when it comes to improving government efficiency.”

Meanwhile, DeSantis on Monday got a question about who should replace him in the governor’s mansion when his final term ends.

While Trump said he will support Southwest Florida Rep. Byron Donalds if he runs, DeSantis took a shot at Donalds.

“Byron has not been a part of the results we’ve seen in Florida,” DeSantis said. “I’ve said we need someone who could build off the success in Florida.”

He was also asked about his wife, Casey, and the potential of her running.

DeSantis said the only person who would do a better job as governor than him was his wife.

Neither Donalds nor Casey DeSantis have made an announcement.

Trump says U.S. and Ukraine are getting 'close' on critical mineral deal as he holds talks with Macron

President Donald Trump on Monday welcomed his first European leader to the White house since returning to power, sitting down with French President Emmanual Macron at a moment of deep uncertainty about the future of transatlantic relations. 

Hanging over the visit — which aligns to the day with the three-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion — is Trump’s full-force effort to bring a swift end to the war in Ukraine. That effort, and the unpredictability it has brought to the continent, is expected to be top of mind. 

Trump told reporters he believes the war could end “within weeks.” 

The French and U.S. leaders started the day participating together in a virtual meeting with fellow leaders of the Group of Seven economies to discuss the fighting. Leaving the White House gates to return to Blair House across the street in the morning, Macron told reporters that he and Trump joined the call together in the Oval Office and that he got a “very good, very friendly” greeting from the U.S. leader. 

The French president returned to the Oval Office in the afternoon to sit down with the U.S. leader, who called Macron a “special man.” 

Trump told reporters a deal that would give the U.S. access to Ukraine's rare earth minerals — a part of his efforts to end the war — is “getting very close.” The president added that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wants to sign the potential agreement in person in Washington, something he said could take place this week or next. 

EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin shares his vision for the agency under Trump

As President Donald Trump looks to reshape several government agencies, changes coming to the Environmental Protection Agency could have significant implications for all Americans in the future.

EPA Administrator Lee Zeldon shared his vision for the agency, as well as where he’ll make cuts and Trump’s plans for energy dominance.

“We started talking on Wednesday, the day after the election, and we were talking about different positions,” Zeldin said.

Zeldin was one of the first people Trump called after the Republican won the White House for a second time.

“He was decisive," Zeldin said. "He knew that he wanted me to come serve as the administrator of the EPA.” 

Zeldin described how he will fulfill the regulatory agency’s self-described mission of protecting human health and the environment.

“It’s important for us to urgently do everything in our power to make sure that Americans have the cleanest air, land and water," he said. "That is something that keeps me up at night."

As a former US Congressman and New York State Senator, he helped clean up the Long Island Sound, opposed some offshore drilling projects and backed limits on forever chemicals.

“The changes that were made in the Biden administration are resulting in what’s called passive receivers where a local water municipality are getting hit with the bill, and then what do they do with it? They pass it on to the consumer. I don’t agree with an approach where the consumer has to pay for cleaning up the PFAs contamination in their community,” he said.

He’s also tasked with helping Trump execute administration priorities.

“I just canceled a $50 million grant to Climate Justice Alliance, where, in the name of environmental justice, they were awarding money to this entity that basically no one’s heard about,” Zeldin said.

Before Zeldin’s Senate confirmation, the White House signaled a reversal of Biden-era gas car bans and lower emissions standards.