Musk’s takeover

Correct us if we’re in error here, but by our reading of the U.S. Constitution, it is the U.S. Congress that holds the purse strings of the government. The Congress allocates funds and it is up to the executive branch to make sure the priorities set on Capitol Hill are executed as directed.
Yet, as we now know, that is not what is happening in Washington, D.C. since Trump’s inauguration. Instead, a small army of Elon Musk’s own employees have been allowed to infiltrate key agencies within the government, including the Office of Personnel Management, which oversees hiring and firing of federal workers, and the Bureau of Fiscal Services, a little known but critically important agency within the U.S. Treasury, that is responsible for processing the vast majority of the nearly one billion federal payments that are issued each year. If you receive a Social Security payment, a federal paycheck, or payment for services to the federal government, those funds are likely issued from this little-known agency. These agencies both maintain the personal data of millions of federal workers, federal beneficiaries, and vendors.
Musk and his minions have also occupied the U.S. Agency for International Development, and say they intend to dismantle it. And “occupy” is not hyperbole in this instance. Multiple news sources have reported that Musk’s team have brought in sleeper couches to various agencies so they can remain on the premises 24 hours a day while they do their work. Exactly what that work entails isn’t clear but we know that members of the Musk team have demanded access to the source code for the vast computer network that keeps track of federal payments. Under Musk’s direction, they have halted payments to a wide range of government programs.
Musk, as this is written, is a private citizen. Yes, he may have bought the presidency for Donald Trump, but the $290 million he invested in the GOP takeover does not grant him personal control of any part of government.
Musk has reportedly told Trump administration officials that he was taking control of the Treasury Department’s computer systems purportedly to hunt for “fraud and abuse.” If that were true, of course, there would be no need for a takeover. Musk’s team could have obtained access in the same way that inspector general’s routinely gain access to government records. Having done so, they could have reported their findings and addressed any fraud through prosecution and restitution, or pressured Congress to reallocate funds being wasted. That’s how government with checks and balances is supposed to work.
Yet, Musk has indicated he wanted “the ability to take drastic action over spending.” Musk has a right to take drastic action over spending when it comes to the companies he owns. But when it comes to the federal government, he has no authority to overturn spending decisions made by Congress.
And the questions about this situation are legion. Who are these people that Musk has tasked with taking over parts of the government? Do they work for Musk, or are they now federal employees? Is Musk paying their salaries or are the taxpayers? Is Musk being paid to take over the government or is he doing it for the thrill?
Musk is famous for hiring foreign workers — how many of the aides currently pouring through the Treasury’s computer network are foreigners? Have they been subjected to FBI background checks? Most likely not, which means Musk could easily be giving foreign agents, witting or not, access to critical information and the ability to infect federal databases with who knows what kind of malware.
This is insanity of a type and scale we have never seen before in the history of the United States. A narrow plurality of Americans may have elected Donald Trump as president but they didn’t elect Elon Musk to any office and, even if they had, there is no office in America that gives a single individual absolute control over federal spending. Elon Musk has no authority to simply impound federal funds because he doesn’t agree with how they are being spent. Musk’s reckless and illegal actions symbolize more than anything the weakness of the Trump presidency. An actual president would never allow a private individual and his minions to take over the government and put our national security at risk. Trump is violating his oath of office every moment he sits idly by. It’s reminiscent of his response to the Jan. 6, 2021 riot.
Congress cannot let this stand. We recognize that GOP lawmakers in Washington, D.C. are afraid of Musk’s money, but if they’re unwilling to rein the man in, why even bother with a Congress? Elon Musk is a disturbed and dangerous individual who wants dictatorial control over America’s checkbook. We can’t give it to him.