During a contentious CNN panel discussion over deep cuts enacted by the Department of Government Efficiency, Shark Tank regular Kevin O’Leary suggested that, despite the tens of thousands of jobs eliminated by Elon Musk’s geek squad, the cuts need to cut deeper. “I think Elon is not cutti ng enough. Cut 20% more,” O’Leary proposed. “Now get your spreadsheet out. These are the names. Whack everybody and then 20% more, as we do in the private sector every day and have done for 100 years in private equity and higher. Back when the organization gels that way, the demoralization only happens once. You don’t want to cut multiple times, but in that more whacking, more whacking.” Kevin O’Leary and Barbara Corcoran fail to seal the deal on “Shark Tank” with disastrous kiss test. (Photo by James Devaney/GC Images) The conversation arose from news that the U.S. Department of Agriculture is moving to end federal programs that provided $1 billion in funding to schools and food banks to buy food directly from local farms. The USDA calls it a shift towards “long-term, fiscally responsible initiatives” but the pain caused by the decision will be immediate and painful. CBS News reports the move cancels about $660 million in funding this year for the Local Food for Schools program, which is active in 40 U.S. states, along with an additional $420 million for a second program called the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement, which assists food banks and other local groups provide food to their communities. Both programs were funded through the USDA’s Commodity Credit Corporation and were created to support farmers and food banks. “This issue is not going to go away because it’s very contentious, but when you cut in any organization, government or private, it’s very demoralizing,” O’Leary said. “It’s traumatic, and it gets lots of bad press as we’re doing right now. But that’s why you cut 20 percent more.” As O’Leary filibustered, Sellers attempted to question him, which the “Shark Tank” star saw as insulting. “Let me just say, can I explain to you that this is when —” Sellers said. “You need to explain it to me?” O’Leary replied. “I know how it works.” “I do, I’ve done it multiple times,” the businessman added. Sellers tried to remind him that the private sector and government are different animals. “But yeah, that’s in the private sector, and you cannot run everyday government the same way you run —” he said. “This is worse than the private sector,” O’Leary shot back. “Fat dripping with waste government.” Sellers pushed back as O’Leary tried interrupting: “I’m not talking about fat dripping with waste government. What do we have? I told you in the South right now in red states. Do you know the number one cause for children underperforming in schools right now?” “Bad educators,” said O’Leary. “They’re hungry!” Sellers said forcefully, with other panelists trying to get a word in edgewise. O’Leary again claimed to be an expert in someone else’s field. “My whole career was in education,” he claimed. Sellers finally reclaimed the floor. “But that’s my point of bringing that up to you. And so yes, you had things like the Free and Reduced Lunch Program. You have the Summer Lunch Program, you have programs that were expanded so kids could actually… So I’m not arguing with you about your expertise in the private sector, but what I am saying is that a 20 percent cut or whack or whack or whack you’re cutting from Allendale Fairfax High School in Birmingham high schools, you’re cutting from places that really matter.” The zeal to “whack more” from the government by O’Leary, whose net worth is about $400 million, didn’t play so well with the general public. “(These) billionaires are so egocentric and talk about people’s lives like they are nothing,” one commenter said on X. “They live in a bubble. It’s time to wake up. They just want more wealth. They are greedy.” “As a Canadian, I have to say sorry for Kevin O’Leary,” wrote another. “Clearly, we didn’t send our best.“ O’Leary was full of hot takes Tuesday, drawing more tepid criticism for his take on education in America that he later condensed in a post on X. “America spends more on education than almost any other country, yet our reading and math scores are the WORST in the G7 and G20. Why? Unions,” O’Leary wrote. “Unions protect mediocrity and keep bad teachers in place, while great teachers who actually make an impact get underpaid. That’s insane! If we want to fix education, we need to fire the bad teachers and pay the great ones a LOT more. I’m all for rewarding results. If you’re advancing math and reading scores, you should be making a great salary. If you’re holding students back, you’re out!” ‘Whack More, Whack More!’: Shark Tank’s Kevin O’Leary Torched for Gloating Over Mass Layoffs, Dismissing Hungry Kids as ‘Fat Dripping with Waste’ ...read more read less