“Republicans on the Hill are also largely giving Musk and Trump the benefit of the doubt, dismissing criticism from Democrats that they are infringing on their congressional powers. Instead, they are leaning on comments from one of their former colleagues \u2014 Secretary of State Marco Rubio \u2014 instead of directly grappling with Musk\u2019s actions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.), asked if Trump has the ability to close USAID unilaterally, said the administration\u2019s goal is to ferret out waste.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s a lot more about finding out how the dollars are being spent, where they are going and whether or not they\u2019re consistent with this administration\u2019s and our country\u2019s priorities,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), chair of the Judiciary Committee, said that it is a \u201cconstitutional question\u201d when asked if Trump can end USAID without congressional approval.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s how you define the executive powers of the president of the United States,\u201d he said, \u201cand I can\u2019t define that for you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Career government officials, Democratic lawmakers and nongovernmental organizations have scrambled to shine a light on Musk\u2019s efforts, many of which they\u2019ve argued he doesn\u2019t have the legal authority to carry out absent approval from Congress. Even some conservatives have raised concerns over Musk\u2019s actions. So far, though, they have been vastly outpaced by Musk, who has taken to his social media platform X to build public support for shock-and-awe efforts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Though Musk posted on X throughout the weekend that it was time for USAID to \u201cdie\u201d and bragged that he was \u201cfeeding USAID into the wood chipper,\u201d it wasn\u2019t until Monday afternoon that Democratic lawmakers held a press conference in hopes of saving the agency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Likewise, days after Musk\u2019s allies gained access to the Treasury Department\u2019s payments system, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) announced that he and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) would work on legislation stopping the \u201cunlawful peddling.\u201d Schumer said, \u201cIt\u2019s like letting a tiger into a petting zoo and hoping for the best.\u201d”<\/p>\n\n\n\n