Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

‘Shadow government’? Billionaire Elon Musk’s grip on U.S. government spending raises questions
Los Angeles Times ^ | Feb. 4, 2025 12:22 PM PT | Kevin Rector, Staff Writer

Posted on 02/04/2025 1:32:42 PM PST by E. Pluribus Unum

The world’s richest man, acting as an unelected “efficiency” consultant to President Trump, has in recent days managed the rare feat of overshadowing his boss — presuming to storm into and begin closing out government agencies at will.

After two weeks of chaos caused by Trump’s own unilateral executive orders to radically alter the federal government, it was suddenly Elon Musk whose name was everywhere in Washington this week, as he and his deputies in the new Department of Government Efficiency slashed at the federal bureaucracy in a purported effort to cut costs.

Disregarding established security protocols while downplaying the budgetary authority of Congress, they accessed sensitive Treasury Department systems full of Americans’ most personal data and declared that the U.S. Agency for International Development — the agency long in charge of distributing American foreign aid to places such as Gaza, Ukraine and sub-Saharan Africa — was corrupt and being shuttered.

Advertisement
They suggested anyone who stood in their way, including career civil servants with actual authority to safeguard Treasury and USAID data, were the real rogue agents. And they and their allies dismissed rising outrage among Democrats as the whining resistance of political sore losers.

In one instance, Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), the ranking Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, tore into Musk for overreaching, saying “we don’t have a fourth branch of government called Elon Musk.”


(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...


TOPICS: Humor
KEYWORDS: gaslighting; kevinrector; laslimes; musk; projection; trump
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-37 last
To: E. Pluribus Unum

Chuck and Hakeem in their presser today said they’re totally willing to cut spending and waste. Just not with Trump and Musk involved.

Great. Let’s start today.


21 posted on 02/04/2025 2:11:17 PM PST by lurk (u)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: E. Pluribus Unum

“...riling Democrats who say the billionaire has no such authority.”

The authority granted through the authority of the President.


22 posted on 02/04/2025 2:11:38 PM PST by odawg
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: E. Pluribus Unum

The LA Times didn’t seem to be curious about unelected bureaucrats of the Biden years... like the ones who came up with the record 8000 pardons for Biden to “sign.”


23 posted on 02/04/2025 2:12:03 PM PST by Restless
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: E. Pluribus Unum
What Musk and a small handful of tech bros are doing right now is walking into the OPM and Treasury Dept. and clicking delete on any government program not specifically authorized by federal statute.

And it turns out there's a lot of these programs.

It's pretty cool.

And the people who got paid by these programs (mostly liberals) are really mad.

So where were the Freedom Caucus and TEA Party folks all of these years? Well, they were fighting amongst a legislative body of 535 politicians which is a lot more challenging than sending Musk in to just zap these programs with a mouse click one after the next.

"You can't do that!" the left howls. Turns out, you actually can just do that. And they're doing it!

24 posted on 02/04/2025 2:17:34 PM PST by Drew68
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: E. Pluribus Unum

Bbbaaaaawwwwaaaaaaaahhhhhhh...
Catching my breath....bbbbaaaaawwwaaaahhhh


25 posted on 02/04/2025 2:29:49 PM PST by goodnesswins (Don’t be REALITY PHOBIC!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: E. Pluribus Unum

So the president is not allowed to hire Auditors for his executive departments?-)


26 posted on 02/04/2025 2:34:04 PM PST by Harpotoo (Being a socialist is a lot easier than saving to WORK like the rest of !US:-))
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: E. Pluribus Unum

LOL! A shadow government is what we had from 2021 through to Jan 20, 2025. And, we actually had a shadow government during Trump’s first term. It was funded through USAID and worked to undermine all his policies in addition to the fraudulent impeachment.

The Trump administration and Elon Musk, who he appointed as head of DOGE, are actually very open and upfront about what they are doing.

But, the left has their talking points so they are going with them.

I want to know how much money leftist news organizations have received via USAID funding. Is that how these news sites have kept afloat for the past few years?


27 posted on 02/04/2025 2:35:53 PM PST by CFW
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: E. Pluribus Unum
We had four years of Socialist occupation, and now it's time to shave some heads.


28 posted on 02/04/2025 2:41:04 PM PST by MuttTheHoople ( "Never thot I'd live to see the day when the right wing would become the cool ones"-Johnny Rotten)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: E. Pluribus Unum

Shadow Government?

Yeah, we just had four years of a brain dead president so we did have a shadow government. No more.


29 posted on 02/04/2025 2:46:05 PM PST by Pollard (Zone 6b)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: nitzy

According to Nick Arama at Redstate, Trump renamed the U.S. Digital services, a unit created by Obama, and it is now called the “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE). So the left can just cry in the beer (or wine boxes). Although the left thinks differently, there is no “Trump exception” to creating or renaming units under the Executive branch of government.


From the article:

“What Unhinged Jamie Raskin Just Said About the Trump Team and a ‘Coup’ Is Next Level Nuts”

https://redstate.com/nick-arama/2025/02/04/raskin-flips-out-on-rachel-maddows-show-about-coup-n2185194

“But there’s nothing “illegal” about it. Trump renamed an existing unit — the U.S. Digital Service that had been established by Barack Obama and was part of the Executive Office of the President (EOP) — DOGE, and that’s what Elon is operating under, as a “special government employee.” Raskin is falsely suggesting that the president doesn’t have a right to review agencies within his own executive branch, claiming Musk was the “fourth branch of government.” “


30 posted on 02/04/2025 2:46:27 PM PST by CFW
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: MNJohnnie
No it another Alt Left lie.

Not really, its kinda like with all the government czars. They have no actual constitution authority, they are subject matter experts the president appointed to advise him and the agencies on critical issues.

In actuality Holmen has no authority on border issues, the Director of Customs and Border Protection has the authority to make actual decisions.

Same with the Drug Czar, the director of DEA is in charge of the agency the czar can only make recommendations.

The CBP Director answers to the DHS Secretly and the DEA director answers to the AG. There are no czars or consultants in the chain of command.

All the people on Musk's team had to be hired and approved by constitutionally recognized agency. He can't do it.

The reason it's set up this way is so one person is in charge of a program/agency and therefor accountable for the agencies performance. Something I hope will come back into fashion.

31 posted on 02/04/2025 3:02:18 PM PST by usurper (AI was born with a birth defect.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 16 | View Replies]

To: E. Pluribus Unum

Elon Musk is bringing the government OUT of the shadows.


32 posted on 02/04/2025 3:23:50 PM PST by Starboard
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: CFW
Raskin is falsely suggesting that the president doesn’t have a right to review agencies within his own executive branch, claiming Musk was the “fourth branch of government.

Raskin's real problem is that his friends have just had their rice bowl taken away. I suspect that even if Trump cannot stop all of the payment streams going out of so many agencies, he can redirect them to places other than Raskin's buddies. I strongly suspect that most of those funds when you get to the original appropriation say something along the lines of "to be disbursed for X purpose by the (Agency Head) or their designee."

33 posted on 02/04/2025 3:41:09 PM PST by Fraxinus (My opinion, worth what you paid.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 30 | View Replies]

To: E. Pluribus Unum

The Muskovites are inside the gate!


34 posted on 02/04/2025 4:12:27 PM PST by JJBookman (Democrats = Party of The Swamp )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: E. Pluribus Unum

“Disregarding established security protocols while downplaying the budgetary authority of Congress, they accessed sensitive Treasury Department systems full of Americans’ most personal data”

Did the LA Times have a problem with Biden’s Brownshirts rifling through Melania’s underwear?


35 posted on 02/04/2025 4:44:12 PM PST by BobL
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: cgbg

“Who in the LA Times works for US intelligence agencies.”

Don’t you ever wonder how news outfits can see their revenues decline 80 to 90% (due to the Internet opening up many more options) and still stay in business...every damn one of them. I think that’s your answer.


36 posted on 02/04/2025 4:46:10 PM PST by BobL
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: Fai Mao

THIS IS THE LA TIMES.
THEY JUST HAD A ‘LARGE BURN DOWN THERE”.


37 posted on 02/04/2025 5:33:29 PM PST by ridesthemiles (not giving up on TRUMP---EVER)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-37 last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson