Musk Overpowers Washington with Trump's Endorsement
Republicans in Congress are primarily extending the benefit of the doubt to Musk and Trump.
TroibNews 
Elon Musk operated at a rapid pace over the weekend to dismantle the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). His allies gained access to the Treasury’s payments system, and reports suggest Musk's aides restricted access to vital government computer systems that contain sensitive information.
President Donald Trump appears to support Musk's actions — for the moment. “He's a very talented guy from the standpoint of management and costs,” Trump remarked to reporters on 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 of Washington has caused concern among Democrats and some Republicans, stirring speculation within GOP circles about the durability of the alliance between the tech billionaire and the president. Musk's recent activities also demonstrate his commitment to implementing his ambitious vision for reshaping the government, directly opposing critics who dismissed his proposed Department of Government Efficiency as merely a ceremonial commission.
According to a source close to Trump, who spoke on condition of anonymity, the president is generally aware of and backs Musk's plans to abolish USAID. While he appreciates Musk taking on “the dirty work” of slicing through federal red tape, Trump may reconsider the arrangement if political repercussions emerge in the future. "He's fine with Elon being the bad guy," the source noted, emphasizing that while Trump closely monitors media coverage, he may not be overly concerned with the specifics regarding USAID's fate.
Trump has maintained a close relationship with Musk, despite the latter's actions irritating key figures within the MAGA movement over issues like immigration, including former top Trump adviser Steve Bannon. Some close to Trump suggest that the president values Musk, the largest donor in the 2024 presidential race, due to his pivotal role in Trump’s previous election victory and his intelligence.
Republican lawmakers are generally supportive of Musk and Trump, rebuffing Democratic criticisms about overstepping congressional authority. Instead, they are referring to comments from former colleague Secretary of State Marco Rubio rather than directly addressing Musk's maneuvers.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune stated that the administration's objective is to identify waste, commenting, "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.”
Sen. Chuck Grassley, chair of the Judiciary Committee, noted that the ability of Trump to eliminate USAID without congressional approval raises a "constitutional question." “It's how you define the executive powers of the president of the United States,” he added, “and I can't define that for you.”
Career government officials, Democratic lawmakers, and NGOs are attempting to highlight Musk’s initiatives, arguing that he lacks legal authority to implement these changes without congressional consent. Even some conservatives have expressed concerns about Musk’s actions. However, his pace has outstripped their responses, with Musk leveraging his platform X to rally public support for his bold strategies.
Over the weekend, Musk shared on X that it was time for USAID to “die” and proclaimed that he was “feeding USAID into the wood chipper.” It wasn't until Monday afternoon that Democratic lawmakers held a press conference aimed at preserving the agency.
Following Musk's allies' access to the Treasury Department's payments system, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer announced a partnership with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries to draft legislation to halt the "unlawful peddling." Schumer stated, “It’s like letting a tiger into a petting zoo and hoping for the best.”
A spokesperson for DOGE did not respond to a request for comment. On X, Musk reposted arguments suggesting that Americans voted for him to take a significant role in the Trump administration.
Outside the USAID headquarters on Monday, Democrats accused Musk and Trump of autocratic behavior. Sen. Chris Murphy stated, "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.”
Musk may have put Democrats in a difficult position by forcing them to defend an agency that isn't particularly popular with voters. Polls and focus groups indicate that people generally know little about foreign aid or view it as an ineffective use 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,’” remarked 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's mission to root out government waste. However, he expressed the need for safeguards to protect personal data amidst Musk's actions — a concern shared by others on the right. “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.
But 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.
Thomas Evans contributed to this report for TROIB News
President Donald Trump appears to support Musk's actions — for the moment. “He's a very talented guy from the standpoint of management and costs,” Trump remarked to reporters on 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 of Washington has caused concern among Democrats and some Republicans, stirring speculation within GOP circles about the durability of the alliance between the tech billionaire and the president. Musk's recent activities also demonstrate his commitment to implementing his ambitious vision for reshaping the government, directly opposing critics who dismissed his proposed Department of Government Efficiency as merely a ceremonial commission.
According to a source close to Trump, who spoke on condition of anonymity, the president is generally aware of and backs Musk's plans to abolish USAID. While he appreciates Musk taking on “the dirty work” of slicing through federal red tape, Trump may reconsider the arrangement if political repercussions emerge in the future. "He's fine with Elon being the bad guy," the source noted, emphasizing that while Trump closely monitors media coverage, he may not be overly concerned with the specifics regarding USAID's fate.
Trump has maintained a close relationship with Musk, despite the latter's actions irritating key figures within the MAGA movement over issues like immigration, including former top Trump adviser Steve Bannon. Some close to Trump suggest that the president values Musk, the largest donor in the 2024 presidential race, due to his pivotal role in Trump’s previous election victory and his intelligence.
Republican lawmakers are generally supportive of Musk and Trump, rebuffing Democratic criticisms about overstepping congressional authority. Instead, they are referring to comments from former colleague Secretary of State Marco Rubio rather than directly addressing Musk's maneuvers.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune stated that the administration's objective is to identify waste, commenting, "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.”
Sen. Chuck Grassley, chair of the Judiciary Committee, noted that the ability of Trump to eliminate USAID without congressional approval raises a "constitutional question." “It's how you define the executive powers of the president of the United States,” he added, “and I can't define that for you.”
Career government officials, Democratic lawmakers, and NGOs are attempting to highlight Musk’s initiatives, arguing that he lacks legal authority to implement these changes without congressional consent. Even some conservatives have expressed concerns about Musk’s actions. However, his pace has outstripped their responses, with Musk leveraging his platform X to rally public support for his bold strategies.
Over the weekend, Musk shared on X that it was time for USAID to “die” and proclaimed that he was “feeding USAID into the wood chipper.” It wasn't until Monday afternoon that Democratic lawmakers held a press conference aimed at preserving the agency.
Following Musk's allies' access to the Treasury Department's payments system, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer announced a partnership with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries to draft legislation to halt the "unlawful peddling." Schumer stated, “It’s like letting a tiger into a petting zoo and hoping for the best.”
A spokesperson for DOGE did not respond to a request for comment. On X, Musk reposted arguments suggesting that Americans voted for him to take a significant role in the Trump administration.
Outside the USAID headquarters on Monday, Democrats accused Musk and Trump of autocratic behavior. Sen. Chris Murphy stated, "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.”
Musk may have put Democrats in a difficult position by forcing them to defend an agency that isn't particularly popular with voters. Polls and focus groups indicate that people generally know little about foreign aid or view it as an ineffective use 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,’” remarked 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's mission to root out government waste. However, he expressed the need for safeguards to protect personal data amidst Musk's actions — a concern shared by others on the right. “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.
But 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.
Thomas Evans contributed to this report for TROIB News
