In an intensification of his crusade to slash US federal government spending, Elon Musk has proposed a “wholesale removal of regulations.”
In a call joined by Vivek Ramaswamy and two Republican Senators; Joni Ernst and Mike Lee, which was aired on X, the multibillionaire entrepreneur said that regulations should be “default gone.”
“Not default there, default gone. And if it turns out that we missed the mark on a regulation, we can always add it back in.”
Elon Musk
Musk also said that the early days of Trump’s presidency, combined with a Republican-controlled Congress, presented a unique chance of implementing a radical overhaul of US government.
“If it’s not possible now, it’ll never be possible. This is our shot. This is the best hand of cards we’re ever going to have. And if we don’t take advantage of this best hand of cards, it’s never going to happen.”
Elon Musk
Musk’s incursion into the entrails of the US government has caused shockwaves.
He and his team of recruits have gained access to employment files and tightly controlled financial and data system at the US treasury, accounting for trillions of dollars of government spending.
Musk has boasted of killing off USAID, the government’s conduit of international aid programmes, calling it an “evil criminal” organization.
Musk’s team has also gained access to the office of personnel management, the federal government’s human resources agency, allowing them to view employment records, while Musk claims to have cancelled up to 50% of federal building contracts for underused office space.
With critics complaining that Musk’s multiplicity of government contracts from his various businesses created conflicts of interest, even Trump felt driven to tell reporters that he did not have unlimited power and could only act with his approval.
Musk’s Actions Decried
Democrats have accused Musk of flagrantly violating the law and “unconstitutional interference.”
Senate Democratic Leader, Chuck Schumer railed on the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and Elon Musk’s allies gaining access to records at the Treasury Department.
“This week, Leader Jeffries and I will join together to push legislation to prevent unlawful meddling in the Treasury Department’s payment systems, to prevent everyone’s records from being made available to a small group of people who can look at them at will.”
Chuck Schumer
While Schumer acknowledged that “reform is a worthy cause to seek,” and ways should be found to improve the efficiency of government, he argued that “history shows when it’s done in the dark of night, by a very limited group of people, of limited experience, it never works.”
“Mark my words. The American people will not stand for an unelected secret group to run rampant through the executive branch. Being innovative is good, but Mr. Musk, this isn’t a tech startup.
“These are public institutions that deal with things like Social Security and Medicare and national defense and provide for the well-being of the American people and the American people have a right to be part of that debate.”
Chuck Schumer
Schumer also took issue with how DOGE gained access to the payment systems at Treasury.
“Nothing screams democracy like having a secret squad of company men pull off a hostile takeover of America’s Social Security and tax information in the dead of night.
“Whatever DOGE is doing, it is certainly not what democracy looks like or has ever looked like in the grand history of this country.”
Chuck Schumer
Meanwhile, Jaime Raskin, the ranking Democrat on the House of Representatives’ judiciary committee, slammed Musk outside USAID’s headquarters on Monday.
“Elon Musk, you may have illegally seized power over the financial payment systems of the United States Department of Treasury, but you don’t control the money of the American people. The United States Congress does that.”
“We don’t have a fourth branch of government called Elon Musk and that’s going to become real clear.”
Jaime Raskin
READ ALSO: Stoltenberg Returns To Politics As Norway’s Finance Minister
