Member Newsletter
Yesterday the Bulwark posted a very interesting article which showed that while basically every Republican is bowing down to the High Lord Elon in Washington, they’re singing at least a slightly different tune in letters to constituents in their states and districts. The Bulwark rightly notes that this suggests a nascent discomfort with the headlines Musk’s operation is creating, enough that even some pretty stalwart Republicans are reacting to it. The Bulwark received letters which readers had sent in from twelve different members of Congress and published four of them — from Sen. John R. Curtis of Utah, Rep. Daniel Webster of Florida, Rep. Mike Flood of Nebraska, and Sen. Deb Fischer of Nebraska. The members are certainly not turning on Musk. But it’s not the standard DC “sucks to be you” discourse we’re seeing in Washington. The letters say they’re monitoring the situation closely to make sure there are no conflicts of interest. They’re particularly sensitive to reports of people’s private information being compromised. A number of them say clearly that Musk is only making recommendations and that Congress will have the final say about spending.
Now, many of these claims are, to put it mildly, totally belied by what’s actually happening in Washington. USAID has been totally shuttered by Musk’s operatives. Just this week, DOGE operatives went to the Department of Education and shut down almost the entirety of the department’s in-house research arm, Institute of Educational Sciences, cancelling contracts totaling about $900 million. In other words, what they are saying in DC, or, in a way, not saying — just smiling and saluting, really — is like a different world from the one they’re describing back home. This gives us a very good view into what they’re hearing from their constituents and what they’re seeing as emerging vulnerabilities.
On Sunday, for instance, TPM Reader MS got her newsletter from mega-Trump Rep. Buddy Carter (R-GA). It featured a seriously over-the-top endorsement of DOGE which started with the headline “Deadweight” and went from there. DOGE had already “resulted in billions of dollars, used by democrat agents and bureaucrats, being identified and slashed … Now, the Radical Left is up in arms against the efforts of the Trump Administration. They are clinging to their woke, DEI policies that are harmful to Americans and our global image.”
It went on from there — might as well have been a Trump post.
But last night MS received a letter on Carter’s stationary responding to her call to his office. It’s like he became a different guy overnight, or maybe got sedated.
Thank you for contacting me regarding Elon Musk, and the Department of Government Efficiency.
Elon Musk has an opportunity to fundamentally change the American government for the better. The Department of Government Efficiency can make suggestions to eliminate waste and curb spending. However, it is important to remember that this department is making suggestions, not final decisions. Legislative power still rests with Congress.
Rest assured that I will evaluate opinions from the Department of Government Efficiency individually, and I will always vote in a way that puts Georgia’s First Congressional District first. It is an honor to represent the First Congressional District of Georgia.
Note that last line in the second graf: “[I]t is important to remember that this department is making suggestions, not final decisions. Legislative power still rests with Congress.” The entire controversy and crisis here is that these aren’t suggestions and Congress is surrendering having any say at all At least for now. The key for USAID and what seems to be in process in the Department of Education is that these wilding sprees are making the choice for Congress and effectively foreclosing any other decision by creating faits accompli. At home at least, or in direct-to-constituent letters, Carter, a hardcore Trumper, is not willing to defend or endorse that.
That’s important.
So here’s the deal. If you’re contacting your senator or member of Congress about this issue, I would be so in your debt if you would send me the response you get from their office. I’d love to get a report on what you heard on the phone, and if you could forward me whatever written correspondence you receive back, that would be great. (No need to block out your name and address. I will be sure to do that.)