Several Republicans have expressed frustrations that Musk, a special government employee, isn’t communicating with Congress on his team’s plans.
In the latest indication of growing tension among factions of President Donald Trump’s allies, Elon Musk’s quick-thinking attempts to change the federal government clashed with congressional Republicans’ insistence on process and professional etiquette behind closed doors in the US Capitol.
House and Senate Republicans met with Musk on Wednesday in an attempt to convince the billionaire that Congress is crucial in passing contentious budget cuts that are unlikely to be challenged in court.
According to a person familiar with the conversation, lawmakers also urged Musk to communicate more with his Department of Government Efficiency and to warn them about impending cuts that could impact jobs and services in their districts.
In public, however, the politicians were generally supportive of Musk and urged him to accelerate the reduction of federal programs. The source, who asked to remain anonymous in order to discuss the private discussion, claimed that many Republican legislators are hesitant to criticize Musk even during members-only, closed-door sessions.
The conversations take place as Congress struggles with the effects of DOGE, whose rapid and extensive cuts to the federal workforce have caused backlash in the states and districts of members.
The move by Veterans Affairs to lay off roughly 80,000 workers was one of the contentious DOGE-inspired reforms that were discussed Wednesday. This idea worried several Republicans since it could make it more difficult for millions of veterans across the country to get health care.
Musk promised the gathering that there would be “no degradation of the benefits for our veterans” when he was questioned about the changes, according to Representative Derrick Van Orden, a former Navy Seal from Wisconsin. However, at the discussion, Musk disassociated DOGE, the White House agency in charge of overseeing federal cost-cutting initiatives, from the VA’s staff termination plans.
On Wednesday, Kansas Republican Senator Jerry Moran likewise denounced the cuts and demanded that any changes at the VA be made in a “more responsible manner.”
Senate Republicans cautioned Musk in a meeting earlier in the day that cutting government financing without congressional consent was “ephemeral” and may be overturned by the Supreme Court, which on Wednesday ruled down Trump’s unilateral foreign-aid limit.
Rather, senators pressured Musk to submit a set of cuts to Congress for approval, which only needs a simple majority in both houses.
The administration’s proposal, according to Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, may result in expenditure cuts of tens of billions. “Now is the time politically,” he continued.
Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky and Graham said Musk seems open to the concept. During the conversation, Musk pumped his fists, according to Graham.
What would be on the list of so-called rescissions is not entirely apparent. However, Graham claimed that reducing services for veterans, for example, would be “political malpractice.”
Given the GOP’s slender and tense majority in both chambers, additional cuts, especially those that impact federal and contractual jobs in legislators’ areas, may make passage challenging.
Interactions
The fact that Musk, a special government employee, isn’t updating Congress on his team’s plans has angered a number of Republicans.
Representative Tom Cole of Oklahoma, who chairs the House Appropriations Committee, stated, “It would be nice if you gave them a heads up before you did it if you are doing something that impacts somebody in their district.” “Be considerate of members. They are the ones who must return home and defend these things, so let them know.
Susan Collins of Maine, Cole’s Senate counterpart, was meeting with several House Republicans and was therefore unable to join the Musk meeting.
Cole’s stance was mirrored Wednesday by West Virginia Senator Shelley Moore Capito, a Republican.
“I believe there is insufficient prior warning. Clarity is lacking,” she remarked. “We are experiencing difficulties in obtaining information.”
Trump praised Musk’s work with DOGE in his joint address to Congress on Tuesday night, saying the agency has discovered substantial “fraud, waste, and theft.” Although DOGE’s website states that it has saved $105 billion by terminating government contracts, independent investigations have shown that the actual amount is probably far lower because of misreadings of contract documents and accounting errors.
Democrats claim that DOGE and the Trump administration are violating Congress’ constitutional authority of the purse by unlawfully rescinding spending mandated in legislation that was authorized by Congress.
