Dylan Hedtler-Gaudette, a Maine native and graduate of the University of Southern Maine, was one of four panelists testifying Wednesday before the newly constituted House Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency, or DOGE. Hedtler-Gaudette, who is blind, is an expert on government accountability. Image taken from C-Span broadcast

A Maine native who works to reduce waste and fraud in the federal government testified Wednesday at a congressional hearing that devolved into a partisan war of words over Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency.

While the lawmakers spent most of the hearing sniping at each other and arguing about Musk, Dylan Hedtler-Gaudette used his opportunity to directly challenge some of President Donald Trump’s early moves under the name of government efficiency.

Hedtler-Gaudette pointed out in his opening statement that the federal government already had a team of inspectors general focused on rooting out waste, fraud and abuse in executive branch agencies. Trump fired 17 of them days into his second term.

“In fiscal year 2023 alone, inspectors general identified over $93 billion worth of potential savings to taxpayers,” Hedtler-Gaudette told the committee.

“It seems to me that if an administration were serious about wanting to root out waste, fraud and abuse, they would support and resource inspectors general and whistleblowers,” he said. “They would not demonize them and they would certainly not fire them en masse in an unlawful midnight purge.”

The 38-year-old, who grew up in Portland and Windham and graduated from the University of Southern Maine, was one of four panelists testifying before the newly constituted House Oversight Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency, or DOGE. Its chair is Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Georgia, a conservative firebrand and loyal Trump ally who had been stripped of committee assignments when Democrats were in control of the House.

Hedtler-Gaudette said after Wednesday’s hearing that it was his fourth time appearing before a congressional committee, but the highest profile to date because of media coverage before, during and after. It took place in the middle of a political storm over Trump’s aggressive moves to slash government spending.

“I was very privileged to be a part of the hearing,” Hedtler-Gaudette. “It was a very important topic and we’re in the middle of some pretty heady times, so being able to be a part of that and what I view to be the side of the angels is very gratifying.”

At the same time, he said, most lawmakers seemed more focused on making their own statements, rather than questioning expert witnesses. At times, he said, some lawmakers seemed more interested in generating viral video clips for social media, rather than exploring practical solutions to pressing problems.

“This one was definitely a little more fraught with the politics and partisanship, as opposed to some of the other ones I have been involved in,” he said. “But that’s sort of part-and-parcel with how Congress works these days. Unfortunately, it’s more of a performative venue most of the time than it is a substantive venue.”

The committee is packed with partisan bulldogs on both sides and, as predicted, the hearing was fiery and dominated by Democrats attacking Musk and by Republicans defending him and attacking Democrats.

“In this subcommittee, we will fight the war on waste shoulder-to-shoulder with President Trump, Elon Musk and the DOGE team,” Greene declared.

The ranking Democrat on the committee, Rep. Melanie Stansbury, D-New Mexico, countered that Musk and Trump are breaking the law and called on the billionaire businessman to come to a future hearing to answer questions. “Come and testify in front of the American people under oath, because we want to know what you’re up to,” she said.

Hedtler-Gaudette was invited to testify as director of government affairs at the Project On Government Oversight, or POGO. The nonpartisan watchdog organization investigates and exposes waste, corruption and abuse of power and tries to protect whistleblowers who report wrongdoing. Hedtler-Gaudette also lobbies on behalf of the group to raise ethical standards and strengthen accountability in the federal government.

He grew up in Maine and graduated from the University of Southern Maine in 2014. He later earned a graduate degree in international relations from Northeastern University.

Hedtler-Gaudette made it clear he is not easily intimidated long before he began testifying in congressional hearings.

He gradually lost vision because of a degenerative condition that began when he was a teenager. At USM in Portland, he showed a fierce independence, navigating college and life and walking nearly a mile to and from campus every day.

“You have to sort of take some chance and some risk,” he told the Press Herald in 2014. “Just be that blind guy. I try to harness it, rather than let it harness me.”

Hedtler-Gaudette was confident and at ease during the hearing, even making reference to his loss of vision to provide a rare moment of levity.

When Taylor Greene interrupted him during his opening statement to say his time was up, he apologized. “I can’t see the flashing light,” he said with a grin.

Hedtler-Gaudette told the committee there are a number of ways the federal government can improve accountability and transparency to reduce waste and fraud. He offered to work with the committee to take up the reforms.

Hedtler-Gaudette lives in the Baltimore area with his wife and son, according to POGO’s website.

Staff Writer Randy Billings contributed to this story.