WASHINGTON, Nov 28 — Far-right US congresswoman Marjorie Taylor-Greene who will lead a new legislative subcommittee overseeing her country’s public spending has accused previous administrations of indiscriminate spending including funding for media programmes and overseas grants.

In a recent interview with Fox News, Taylor-Greene emphasized the need to target federal funds supporting programmes she claimed did not serve American interests, such as National Public Radio, which she accused of spreading "Democrat propaganda."

"We'll be going into grant programs that fund things like sex apps in Malaysia, toilets in Africa, all kinds of programs that don't help the American people,” she said in the interview.

It is unclear what "sex apps” Taylor-Greene believed the US government was funding in Malaysia.

However, this is the second time in the recent US election cycle that US Republicans have referred to Malaysia in a derogatory manner, after Fox News host Tucker Carlson used the country to mock Trump’s rival, Kamala Harris, saying she could be "the first Samoan-Malaysian low-IQ former California prosecutor ever to be elected president.”

Taylor-Greene's remarks come as part of a broader Republican push to reduce federal spending, with a new commission set up by incoming government efficiency chief, billionaire Elon Musk who helped finance incoming US President Donald Trump’s campaign.

According to the AFP news agency, Musk, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, will meet next week with Republican lawmakers, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, to begin discussions about reforming government spending and cutting billions from the federal budget.

Johnson, in a post on X, expressed enthusiasm about hosting Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, co-leader of the new "Department of Government Efficiency" (DoGE), for talks on regulatory cuts and cost-saving measures.

Although Trump and Musk have suggested that up to US$2 trillion in savings could be achieved, many experts remain sceptical, warning that such cuts could severely impact vital services and benefits.

Musk, who has no formal government role, stated in a Wall Street Journal op-ed that DOGE would work to reduce federal regulations and improve administrative efficiency, but cautioned that their efforts would be conducted by entrepreneurs serving as outside volunteers, not federal employees.