President of Washington,Elon Musk, a wealthy supporter, has been granted access to key Treasury payment systems that transfer trillions of dollars, and Donald Trump has attempted to freeze up to hundreds of billions of dollars in federal funds. Top FBI leaders, federal prosecutors, and agency watchdogs involved in the Jan. 6 investigation have been fired by Trump and his administration.
The U.S. Agency for International Development, which annually distributes tens of billions of dollars in congressionally approved funding to foreign partners, is now the target of Trump and Musk’s attack.
Members of Congress have some degree of oversight or direct authority in each of these areas. However, Trump has consistently avoided them.
Trump, who is at the peak of his political power after winning the 2024 election’s popular vote, has been enlarging his executive authority and slamming Congress since taking back the White House two weeks ago. He is trying to reduce the size of the government and purge it of anyone he believes to be disloyal.
In a city where the three pillars of government are always at odds with one another, lawmakers have long praised their oversight duties and financial power as sources of pride. However, Republicans are still generally submitting to the president, who has a great deal of sway over GOP primary voters, in the second Trump administration.
Trump’s contentious and occasionally legally dubious executive acts and directives have been carried out by Republicans, who control both chambers of Congress and have historically complained about Democratic presidents’ executive overreach. Instead, they are supporting Trump as he challenges Washington and the checks and balances in the United States.
Democratic presidents have attempted to stretch the boundaries of their authority as well, Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., told NBC News.
Regarding the Trump administration, Tillis stated, “They’re going to see how far they can go.” I don’t hold it against them.
However, Tillis stated that it would be beneficial if Trump obtained congressional approval to refuse to spend money that is constitutionally required by Congress, such as on USAID, without citing instances of Democratic presidents attempting to abolish agencies by executive action.
Tillis, who is up for reelection next year, stated, “I think it’s legitimate; it’s just not going to last long term if it doesn’t make sense.”
Speaking to a group of House Republicans last week at the president’s golf club outside of Miami, Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., stated, “I believe that Trump has been using his executive authority in an appropriate manner.” The American people gave him a mandate. Remember that he ran on a platform of bringing back budgetary sanity and common sense as well as making sure the government would operate more effectively. It was one of the campaign’s main themes.
Trump’s attempts to abolish USAID were met with considerable caution from a moderate Republican.
I’m worried about “I have concerns regarding the legality,” stated Senator Lisa Murkowski, a Republican from Alaska.
She went on to summarize the mostly subdued response to Trump from the majority of congressional Republicans.
According to Murskowski, we’re all sort of falling into the pattern of: Things happen, the news breaks, and there’s this explosion reaction, and then you find out that, well, well, we’re narrowing the order; or, well, there’s not really going to be tariffs. Therefore, I believe that we are all simply digesting and determining the proper answer.
In addition, Senate Republicans have been overwhelmingly deferential in backing Trump’s choices despite pressure from his allies to support candidates like Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, with the exception of covertly thwarting scandal-plagued former Rep. Matt Gaetz’s campaign for attorney general. More contentious nominations are in the works, such as Tulsi Gabbard for director of national intelligence and Robert F. Kennedy for secretary of health and human services.
USAID under attack
Musk stated on Monday that USAID was being shut down by the government efficiency department he was placed in charge of under Trump, and that agency staff were informed that they would not be permitted to enter their Washington offices and were encouraged to work from home. Later in the day, Trump claimed to have named Secretary of State Marco Rubio as USAID’s acting administrator and implied that USAID had been involved in fraud.
Rubio informed Congress that the State Department is reviewing USAID’s international assistance operations in preparation for a possible reorganization.
People have been trying to alter it for the past 20 or 30 years, but it is not changing. Rubio of USAID stated during a visit to El Salvador on Monday that it is unwilling to collaborate. Even simple program-related queries were unanswerable when we were in Congress. It won’t go on like that.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., declined to criticize Trump when asked by NBC News if Trump could unilaterally abolish USAID without congressional action. He also reiterated Rubio’s criticisms that the agency has not disclosed how it is spending tax cash.
When it comes to our national interests, I believe it’s much more important to ascertain how the money is being spent, where it’s going, and if it aligns with the administration’s and our nation’s priorities, Thune stated.
Trump dismissed 18 independent inspector generals who were entrusted with looking into cases of fraud, waste, and abuse within federal agencies at the conclusion of his first week in office. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, the Senate Judiciary Chairman and a Democrat, claimed that Trump’s action was illegal.Grassley assisted in writing a law requiring the president to notify Congress for 30 days prior to dismissing an inspector general and to explain the decision.
Nevertheless, Grassley showed Trump a great deal of deference.
The IGs may have been sacked for a valid reason. At the time, Grassley stated, “We need to know that if so.”
The Trump White House’s move to unilaterally halt all government loans and grants that Congress had previously approved last week so it could examine that the funds weren’t supporting programs it disapproved seemed to catch Republicans off guard. With House Appropriations Chairman Tom Cole, R-Okla., an institutionalist and 22-year veteran of Congress, stating that he had no issue with the president’s actions and others claiming that they were entirely lawful, GOP leaders united in support of the proposed funding freeze.
Republicans praised Trump’s decision to revoke the order that halted grants and loans and caused confusion across a few hours later. U.S. District Judge Loren Ali Khan stated on Monday that certain types of federal aid still seem to be banned, despite a federal judge temporarily blocking Trump’s freeze last week.
Democrats make a stand
Republicans could utilize committees to start investigations and subpoena Trump officials for documents and testimony because they have majorities in both the House and the Senate. However, that is unlikely to occur at this time. Republicans in Congress are collaborating closely with Trump to enact his policies of tax cuts, more border security, and increased energy output.
Therefore, it is up to the minority Democrats to figure out how to try to stop Trump.
In a letter on Monday, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., stated that Democrats will introduce legislation to stop illegal access to the Treasury payment system, which holds extremely private and sensitive data about taxpayers, households, nonprofit organizations, businesses, federal contractors, and recipients of Social Security and Medicare. The action might test the GOP’s resolve to stop Trump’s move.
Sen. Ed Markey, a Democrat from Massachusetts, urged Democrats to oppose Trump and Musk by voting against all upcoming candidates. In response to Trump’s attacks on USAID, Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, a member of the Foreign Relations Committee, which is in charge of USAID and the State Department, warned on Monday to put all of Trump’s candidates for the State Department on a blanket hold and stall them.
It is against the law and compromises our security to dismantle USAID. Congress provides funding for USAID, which was established by federal law. Schatz stated in a statement that Elon Musk and Donald Trump cannot simply wish it away with a single word; legislation must be passed.
Sen. Chris Coons, a moderate from Delaware, cautioned that if Trump is successful in unilaterally dismantling USAID, a future president may disregard appropriations legislation as well.
He stated that there is some debate over USAID. The more fundamental dispute, however, is whether or not a law-based appropriations agreement will be upheld.
A delegation of Democrats from the House and Senate were prevented from visiting USAID’s Ronald Reagan Building headquarters earlier Monday. Outside, they protested Musk’s efforts to dismantle USAID and expressed solidarity with its employees.
The new top Democrat of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee, Rep. Gerry Connolly of Virginia, who represents thousands of federal employees, declared, “We will fight in every way we can, in the courts, in public opinion, with the bully pulpit, in the halls of Congress, and here at AID itself.”
According to Connolly, Congress should handle the issue of reorganizing USAID, not an unelected billionaire tycoon like Elon Musk.