Democrats are focusing their political attacks on billionaire Elon Musk—not President Trump—amid an unprecedented restructuring of US federal agencies that has given the Tesla CEO extraordinary control over government operations.
The backlash follows Musk’s rapid moves as head of the newly created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which has been aggressively taking over federal functions, including the treasury department’s payment systems, the US Agency for International Development (USAID), and potentially the education department.
At a fiery rally outside the treasury department headquarters, Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass) declared, “In the building behind me, Elon Musk is seizing power from the American people. We are here to fight back.”
Warren accused Musk of “deciding whether every road repair in America moves forward, whether every Head Start center opens, and whether every military base operates according to his whims.”
Activists held signs reading “Nobody Elected Elon,” underscoring the unease about Musk’s unchecked authority in Washington.
Why it matters
- Musk’s expanding influence represents a radical shift in how the federal government operates. His ability to override agencies, halt government programs, and access vast amounts of federal data without being elected or confirmed by Congress has raised alarms among Democrats and watchdog groups.
- The latest flashpoint came after DOGE secured direct access to a Treasury system that processes trillions in government payments annually, sparking fears that Musk’s team could manipulate or delay federal payouts.
- Musk’s aides have also effectively shut down USAID, a major provider of international humanitarian assistance, prompting accusations that he is dismantling the US’s global influence in favor of an “America First” agenda.
- Discussions are already underway within DOGE about issuing an executive order to gut the education department, a move that could significantly reduce federal oversight of public education.
What they are saying
- Democrats are scrambling to counter Musk’s rising influence, arguing that the real power in Washington is now in the hands of a single unelected billionaire—rather than
Trump or the voters who put him in office. - As per a Politico report, Rep Don Beyer (D-Va) framed Musk as the perfect political foil, saying, “He’s a good villain. He makes it so easy because he’s so disregarding of how people feel. You know there’s no empathy, there’s no sense of trying to help people.”
- Rep Jared Golden (D-Maine), a centrist representing a Trump-friendly district, took an even sharper tone, tweeting: “My constituents, and a majority of this country, put Trump in the White House—not this unelected, weirdo billionaire.”
- Sen Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) vowed to block all Trump State Department nominees until the administration reverses its actions on USAID.
- Even as Democrats raise alarm bells, Musk’s defenders argue that his aggressive shake-up of Washington is exactly what voters wanted.
- Trump, speaking to reporters, defended Musk’s sweeping authority, saying: “Look, he’s done a great job. Look at all the fraud that he’s found in this USAID. It’s a disaster.”
- Vice President JD Vance echoed Trump’s stance, posting on X that voters supported Trump “because he promised to have Elon Musk root out wasteful spending in our government.”
- Americans are witnessing “an extraordinary centralization of power in someone who lacks a top-level security clearance and has not been subject to any Senate confirmation process,” Don Moynihan, a professor at the Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan, told Reuters. “Musk has unprecedented and centralized control of the basic plumbing of government,” he added.
Elon can’t do and won’t do anything without our approval, and we’ll give him the approval, where appropriate; where not appropriate, we won’t. But he reports in.
Donald Trump
Between the lines
- Musk’s takeover of critical government operations aligns with Trump’s long-standing goal of gutting the federal bureaucracy—a campaign promise the president has often framed as dismantling the so-called “deep state.”
- Musk has taken on a quasi-official role in the administration, serving as a “special government employee”, which allows him to work at the White House for 130 days without filing the same financial disclosures as full-time officials.
- His direct access to the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has led to mass emails urging federal workers to accept “deferred resignation” offers, a move eerily similar to his mass layoffs at Twitter in 2022.
- Reports indicate that some federal employees have already been locked out of their agency email accounts, adding to the chaos within the bureaucracy.
- Meanwhile, Republican lawmakers have largely rallied behind Musk and DOGE, dismissing Democratic concerns as hysterical overreactions.
- Rep Darrell Issa (R-Calif) mocked the outrage, asking on X: “Is it just me, or are Democrats not ready for our side winning so much?”
- Sen Tom Cotton (R-Ark), a leading defense hawk, suggested that Musk’s takeover was long overdue, saying: “If Democrats had spent more time cutting waste and less time complaining about billionaires, we wouldn’t be in this position.”
Those of us who have worked at Elon’s companies can see his fingerprints all over what’s happening inside the federal government right now. It’s a very seat-of-the-pants affair with Elon’s loyalists scrambling to execute his every whim and desire as fast as possible
Thomas Moline, a former SpaceX senior avionics engineer, told Reuters
What’s next
- Democrats are scrambling for ways to curtail Musk’s power, but their options are limited.
- Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries are weighing whether to use routine government funding bills as leverage to force changes at DOGE.
- Some Democrats are even discussing lawsuits to challenge Musk’s takeover of USAID and other agencies, though legal experts say such challenges could take months or even years to play out.
- State-level Democratic leaders have also begun sounding the alarm, with California Governor Gavin Newsom warning that Musk’s unchecked power over federal operations could soon spill into state-run programs, particularly in areas like transportation and energy policy.
- Meanwhile, Musk himself remains openly defiant in the face of mounting opposition.
- On X (formerly Twitter), he dismissed Democratic criticisms as an attempt to “protect the radical-left shadow government that has been looting taxpayers for decades.”
- DOGE officials continue to operate at breakneck speed, reportedly working on AI-driven tools to identify and eliminate so-called “wasteful spending” across the federal government.
- Some reports suggest that Musk has even floated the idea of privatizing certain government functions, though it’s unclear whether such proposals would have legal backing.
The bottom line
- Elon Musk has emerged as the most powerful unelected figure in Washington, redrawing the battle lines in American politics.
- For Democrats, he is the new face of unchecked corporate power, wielding more influence than many Cabinet secretaries.
- For Trump and his allies, he is a disruptor, a billionaire warrior battling an entrenched bureaucracy that they argue has resisted Trump’s agenda for years.
- For federal workers, Musk represents an existential threat, as his cost-cutting vision of government could mean thousands of layoffs, abrupt policy shifts, and a radical transformation of how Washington functions.
- As the fight over Musk’s role escalates, one thing is clear: Trump may be the president, but it’s Musk who appears to be pulling the strings in Washington.
(With inputs from agencies)