Musk Overhauls Federal Government, Steamrolls Washington
Republicans in Congress are mostly extending the benefit of the doubt to Musk and Trump.
TroibNews 
Over the weekend, Elon Musk moved swiftly to dismantle the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), granting his allies access to the Treasury’s payment system and reportedly locking government employees out of sensitive data systems.
President Donald Trump appears supportive of Musk’s actions—at least for the time being. “He's a very talented guy from the standpoint of management and costs,” Trump said to reporters Monday. “We're trying to shrink government, and he can probably shrink it as well as anybody else, if not better. Where we think there's a conflict or there's a problem, we won't let him go near it.”
Musk’s rapid takeover in Washington has left both Democrats and some Republicans uneasy and has sparked speculation within GOP ranks about the sustainability of his alliance with the president. His recent initiatives challenge the narrative that his proposed Department of Government Efficiency would be nothing more than a symbolic committee, demonstrating his commitment to radical reforms.
Trump is reportedly quite aware of and endorses Musk's efforts to dismantle USAID, as indicated by a source close to the president, who spoke under condition of anonymity. While Trump appreciates Musk taking on "the dirty work" of cutting through federal bureaucracy, the source also suggested that Trump could reassess this support if political repercussions arise.
"He's fine with Elon being the bad guy," noted the source, highlighting Trump’s attentiveness to media coverage while downplaying the specifics of whether USAID should be absorbed into the State Department or entirely eliminated. "But things can always change."
Despite backlash from some influential figures in the MAGA movement over Musk's positions on issues like immigration, Trump has maintained a close relationship with the tech billionaire. Some insiders attribute this to Trump's belief that Musk, as the largest donor in the upcoming 2024 presidential election, significantly contributed to his previous electoral success and possesses remarkable intelligence.
On Capitol Hill, Republicans are largely inclined to trust Musk and Trump, dismissing Democratic criticisms about encroachments on congressional authority. Instead, they echo sentiments from former Senator Marco Rubio, now Secretary of State, rather than engaging directly with Musk’s actions.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, when queried about Trump’s ability to unilaterally close USAID, indicated the administration's focus is on identifying wasteful spending. "I think it's a lot more about finding out how the dollars are being spent, where they are going and whether or not they're consistent with this administration's and our country's priorities,” he stated.
Sen. Chuck Grassley, chair of the Judiciary Committee, remarked that determining whether Trump can abolish USAID without congressional approval raises “a constitutional question.” He added, “It's how you define the executive powers of the president of the United States, and I can't define that for you.”
In response to Musk’s moves, career government officials, Democratic lawmakers, and NGOs are striving to illuminate his actions, many suggesting he lacks the necessary legal authority to proceed without congressional consent. Concerns have also emerged from some conservatives. Nevertheless, Musk remains ahead, leveraging his social media platform X to galvanize public backing for his bold initiatives.
Musk posted throughout the weekend about the need for USAID to “die” and claimed he was “feeding USAID into the wood chipper.” It wasn't until Monday afternoon that Democratic lawmakers called a press conference to rally support for the agency.
In a similar vein, after Musk's associates accessed the Treasury Department's payment system, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer announced a collaborative effort with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries to draft legislation aimed at preventing what they termed “unlawful peddling.” Schumer remarked, “It’s like letting a tiger into a petting zoo and hoping for the best.”
A spokesperson for DOGE did not respond to requests for comment. Musk recently reposted assertions suggesting that Americans elected him to play a significant role in the Trump administration.
During a gathering outside the USAID headquarters Monday, Democrats accused Musk and Trump of authoritarian behavior. Sen. Chris Murphy declared, "This is a constitutional crisis that we are in today. Let's call it what it is." Sen. Chris Van Hollen added, “Elon Musk may get to be dictator of Tesla. And he may try to play dictator here in Washington, D.C., but he doesn’t get to shut down the Agency for International Development.”
Nevertheless, Musk may have placed Democrats in a position of defending an agency that has historically received mixed feedback from the public. Democratic and Republican strategists indicate that polling reveals limited familiarity with foreign aid among voters, many of whom view it as an ineffective allocation of resources.
“You’ll hear a lot of people say, ‘Well, sure, it’s nice to help people in Ukraine’ or ‘Sure, it would be great to do charity work across the globe, but we have people who are homeless here. We have a drug problem here,’” said Democratic pollster Jason McGrath. “That’s obviously not the way the federal government works, but it’s a sentiment that the Trump campaign and Musk have cynically taken advantage of.”
On the Republican side, conservative consultant Ryan Girdusky noted that many are inclined to support Musk in his efforts to eliminate waste. However, he raised concerns about safeguarding personal data amid Musk’s initiatives. “I agree that the federal government is bloated and that some employees need to go, and there's a lot of waste and fraud and abuse in the system. And I’m happy Musk is doing that,” he said.
Yet, he added, “It is deeply concerning that a man who has built his fortune on federal contracts, federal subsidies, he’s in the process of building an AI company and he is building the eight ball. There are a number of companies who are much further on AI than Musk is. So how do you jump past all of them? You get a hold of the data that no one else can access.”
Katherine Tully-McManus contributed to this report.
Ramin Sohrabi contributed to this report for TROIB News
President Donald Trump appears supportive of Musk’s actions—at least for the time being. “He's a very talented guy from the standpoint of management and costs,” Trump said to reporters Monday. “We're trying to shrink government, and he can probably shrink it as well as anybody else, if not better. Where we think there's a conflict or there's a problem, we won't let him go near it.”
Musk’s rapid takeover in Washington has left both Democrats and some Republicans uneasy and has sparked speculation within GOP ranks about the sustainability of his alliance with the president. His recent initiatives challenge the narrative that his proposed Department of Government Efficiency would be nothing more than a symbolic committee, demonstrating his commitment to radical reforms.
Trump is reportedly quite aware of and endorses Musk's efforts to dismantle USAID, as indicated by a source close to the president, who spoke under condition of anonymity. While Trump appreciates Musk taking on "the dirty work" of cutting through federal bureaucracy, the source also suggested that Trump could reassess this support if political repercussions arise.
"He's fine with Elon being the bad guy," noted the source, highlighting Trump’s attentiveness to media coverage while downplaying the specifics of whether USAID should be absorbed into the State Department or entirely eliminated. "But things can always change."
Despite backlash from some influential figures in the MAGA movement over Musk's positions on issues like immigration, Trump has maintained a close relationship with the tech billionaire. Some insiders attribute this to Trump's belief that Musk, as the largest donor in the upcoming 2024 presidential election, significantly contributed to his previous electoral success and possesses remarkable intelligence.
On Capitol Hill, Republicans are largely inclined to trust Musk and Trump, dismissing Democratic criticisms about encroachments on congressional authority. Instead, they echo sentiments from former Senator Marco Rubio, now Secretary of State, rather than engaging directly with Musk’s actions.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, when queried about Trump’s ability to unilaterally close USAID, indicated the administration's focus is on identifying wasteful spending. "I think it's a lot more about finding out how the dollars are being spent, where they are going and whether or not they're consistent with this administration's and our country's priorities,” he stated.
Sen. Chuck Grassley, chair of the Judiciary Committee, remarked that determining whether Trump can abolish USAID without congressional approval raises “a constitutional question.” He added, “It's how you define the executive powers of the president of the United States, and I can't define that for you.”
In response to Musk’s moves, career government officials, Democratic lawmakers, and NGOs are striving to illuminate his actions, many suggesting he lacks the necessary legal authority to proceed without congressional consent. Concerns have also emerged from some conservatives. Nevertheless, Musk remains ahead, leveraging his social media platform X to galvanize public backing for his bold initiatives.
Musk posted throughout the weekend about the need for USAID to “die” and claimed he was “feeding USAID into the wood chipper.” It wasn't until Monday afternoon that Democratic lawmakers called a press conference to rally support for the agency.
In a similar vein, after Musk's associates accessed the Treasury Department's payment system, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer announced a collaborative effort with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries to draft legislation aimed at preventing what they termed “unlawful peddling.” Schumer remarked, “It’s like letting a tiger into a petting zoo and hoping for the best.”
A spokesperson for DOGE did not respond to requests for comment. Musk recently reposted assertions suggesting that Americans elected him to play a significant role in the Trump administration.
During a gathering outside the USAID headquarters Monday, Democrats accused Musk and Trump of authoritarian behavior. Sen. Chris Murphy declared, "This is a constitutional crisis that we are in today. Let's call it what it is." Sen. Chris Van Hollen added, “Elon Musk may get to be dictator of Tesla. And he may try to play dictator here in Washington, D.C., but he doesn’t get to shut down the Agency for International Development.”
Nevertheless, Musk may have placed Democrats in a position of defending an agency that has historically received mixed feedback from the public. Democratic and Republican strategists indicate that polling reveals limited familiarity with foreign aid among voters, many of whom view it as an ineffective allocation of resources.
“You’ll hear a lot of people say, ‘Well, sure, it’s nice to help people in Ukraine’ or ‘Sure, it would be great to do charity work across the globe, but we have people who are homeless here. We have a drug problem here,’” said Democratic pollster Jason McGrath. “That’s obviously not the way the federal government works, but it’s a sentiment that the Trump campaign and Musk have cynically taken advantage of.”
On the Republican side, conservative consultant Ryan Girdusky noted that many are inclined to support Musk in his efforts to eliminate waste. However, he raised concerns about safeguarding personal data amid Musk’s initiatives. “I agree that the federal government is bloated and that some employees need to go, and there's a lot of waste and fraud and abuse in the system. And I’m happy Musk is doing that,” he said.
Yet, he added, “It is deeply concerning that a man who has built his fortune on federal contracts, federal subsidies, he’s in the process of building an AI company and he is building the eight ball. There are a number of companies who are much further on AI than Musk is. So how do you jump past all of them? You get a hold of the data that no one else can access.”
Katherine Tully-McManus contributed to this report.
Ramin Sohrabi contributed to this report for TROIB News
