Elon Musk - Unelected? So what!
Opponents are deriding Elon Musk as an unelected bureaucrat - for example Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts said "no one elected Elon Musk." Senator Schumer, Minority Leader and senior Senator from NY, was quoted saying "Its like letting a tiger into the petting zoo..." and "...the US was witnessing a hostile takeover of the federal government..."*1 Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez called it a "plutocratic coup."*2 Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn) said "this is what the beginning of dictatorship looks like." *3 A University of North Carolina law professor, Michael J. Gerhardt, closed his comments by saying "There is no mechanism for keeping Elon Musk in check." *4
Many, if not all of these comments come after, and are complaining about, the shutdown of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The first two comments, the one by Senator Warren and the first quote from Senator Schumer are correct and irrelevant. The rest are flat out wrong. The closing of USAID illustrates my points.
Elon Musk is an "unelected bureaucrat." So what? The leadership and staff of USAID are unelected bureaucrats just like Elon Musk. Let's compare the unelected bureaucrat(s) being criticized to the unelected bureaucrats being defended by progressives and Democrats.
- Elon Musk, and the staff of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) are acting at the direction of President Donald J. Trump, who was elected by 77.3 million people,
- The leadership and staff of USAID are acting at the direction of no elected official. In fact, for at least 30 years, the unelected bureaucrats at USAID have been refusing to cooperate with officials who are elected (Presidents and members of the US Senate, among others), or who were appointed by elected officials (e.g. Secretaries of State for both Republican and Democrat administrations, among others.)
As kids today say, I've got the receipts for that last point.
Senator Marsha Blackburn, R-TN, was quoted saying USAID refused to provide information to elected officials about how they (USAID) were spending taxpayer money.*5 Then it gets worse. Senator Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, said the USAID engaged in "willful sabotage of congressional oversight," and further said "Time and time again, the agency has been unwilling to provide accurate documents in response to my investigations into its frivolous expenditures." Furthermore, Senator Ernst accused USAID of "intimidating and threatening" her staff in an effort to obstruct congressional oversight.*6
When the unelected members of Elon Musk's team, who were acting under the authority of the elected President of the United States, sought access to USAID records, the unelected security officials at USAID, acted to defy the elected President's wishes, and blocked Musk's teams access. Those security officials were then put on leave. *7
As I said, the unwillingness of USAID unelected bureaucrats to take orders from elected officials or their representatives, goes back 30 years and it is not a partisan issue either. The closing of USAID is an idea the Washington Post described as "A move so MAGA it was championed by... Bill Clinton's Secretary of State?" In 1995, Secretary of State Warren Christopher tried to close USAID (and two other agencies) and fold them into the Department of State saying "the current organizational structures and activities of the Department... are increasing redundant, bloated, and unresponsive to policy makers." (see *2)
Let's talk about whether there is a mechanism to keep Elon Musk in check. When the Department of Government Efficiency team led by Elon Musk concluded USAID should be shut down, this recommendation, per Elon Musk and confirmed by President Trump, was submitted to the elected President of the United States (Trump) for approval and he authorized it.*8
We haven't even discussed the policy initiatives being supported and funded by unelected bureaucrats at USAID that, in my opinion and the opinion of those who have disclosed them, were not consistent with the desires of elected officials and were wastes of taxpayer dollars. Nor have I quoted the leaders of US Allied countries - El Salvador and Hungary, among others - who complained that the unelected bureaucrats were funding opponents to their governments. It is unlikely Presidents or Secretaries of State were in favor of unelected bureaucrats acting without approval to provide funds to entities trying to overthrow allied governments.
Let's recap and fact check the comments of the critics I quoted at the outset.
** No one elected Elon Musk - TRUE. But, President Donald J. Trump was elected with 77.3 million votes. Elon Musk did authorize the actions of Elon Musk and DOGE. To wit: Elon Musk did not shut down USAID - his team recommended and the elected President authorized the action.(See *8) Contrast that with the unelected staff at USAID who have been "unresponsive" to representatives of Presidential staff and elected members of Congress for at least 30 years and who have funded initiatives that do not follow, and often were contrary to, policy decisions of elected officials.(See *2,*5,*6)
** This is a hostile takeover of the government, a coup, the start of a dictatorship - FALSE. Donald Trump ran for the office of President. During his campaign, Donald Trump announced months before the election that he would authorize a "Department of Government Efficiency" and put Elon Musk in charge to comb through the government to find waste, fraud, and corruption. Knowing this, 77.3 million Americans voted to elect Donald Trump to be President. That's not a hostile takeover, not a coup, not the start of a dictatorship. That's a free and fair election. What is happening is the will of 77.3 million Americans.
** There is no mechanism for keeping Elon Musk in check. FALSE. The very same article where Professor Gerhardt makes his comments also quotes elected President Trump as saying "We will license him [Musk] as appropriate. When not appropriate, we will not." (See *4) Trump also said "Whenever we think there is a conflict or problem, we will not let him near." Specifically regarding USAID, Musk said "I went over it with (the President) in detail and he agreed..." The same article reported "Musk said he checked with Trump 'a few times' and Trump confirmed he wants to shut down the agency." (See *8)
** This is like letting a tiger into a petting zoo. TRUE. President Trump was elected by 77.3 million Americans who knew full well that he was going to authorize Elon Musk and DOGE to investigate every part of the federal government. The unelected bureaucrats who are spending money in wasteful, fraudulent, and corrupt ways, inconsistent with the policies of the elected Administration thought this was going to be another failed process, like the Grace Commission of the Reagan Administration and other attempts to rein in the bureaucracy. Those unelected bureaucrats are finding its not fun being the animals when the tiger is released in the petting zoo.
I and many, many other Americans, who voted for Donald Trump, and some who didn't are enjoying watching the tiger at work.
P.S. Some might argue President Trump doesn't have authority to shut down USAID. That may be true or it may not be true. It may require the Courts or Congress stepping in to resolve that question. But that's not the issue raised by Senators Schumer and Warren, or Representatives Ocasio-Cortez and Omar. They are complaining about Elon Musk and his "lack of authority" as an unelected bureaucrat - that's the issue being discussed. Bringing up questions about Trump's authority tells me a) you agree that I'm right about Elon Musk and DOGE, b) you know you've lost that argument c) but you're not willing to admit it d) so your only recourse is to change the subject.
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Sources:
*1 France 24, Sunday, February 2, 2025 - Source for quotes from Senator Schumer and Senator Warren France 24 2/2/2025
*2 Thursday, February 6, 2025 the Washington Post - you know the paper where Democracy Dies in Darkness and staff protested or resigned when the paper did not endorse Kamala Harris for President in 2024. This is also the source of the quote by Representative Ilhan Omar mentioned in the opening paragraph. Washington Post 2/6/2025
*3 The Guardian, February 3, 2025 - Headline: "Progressive Democrats accuse Trump and Musk of 'a plutocratic coup'" The Guardian 2/3/2025
*4 Binance Square, Wednesday, February 5, 2025 - Source of quote by UNC Law Professor Michael J. Gerhardt and for my points in saying his comment is false. Professor Gerhardt's quotes are farther down that article and the rebuttal points further than that. Binance Square 2/5/2025
*5 Breitbart, Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025 - Senator Marsha Blackburn R-TN said: "...USAID that would not give you the answer of where they’re spending the money, or would not reveal how long these grants have been in place." Breitbart
*6 Daily Mail, Tuesday, February 4, 2025 - Source for quotes from Senator Joni Ernst. Daily Mail 2/4/2025
*7 CBS News, February 3, 2025 - Headline:"Two top security officials at USAID placed on leave, sources say" CBS News 2/3/2025
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