Congressional Republicans push for answers from Elon Musk over DOGE

Congressional Republicans looking for clarity over Elon Musk’s efforts to slash the federal government will get an opportunity to engage with Musk directly on Wednesday in a pair of meetings on Capitol Hill, as lawmakers push for a seat at the table in the sweeping effort to overhaul government.

Congressional Republicans looking for clarity over Elon Musk’s efforts to slash the federal government will get an opportunity to engage with Musk directly on Wednesday in a pair of meetings on Capitol Hill, as lawmakers push for a seat at the table in the sweeping effort to overhaul government. GOP lawmakers have been making the case to their leadership behind the scenes for weeks that Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency needs to consult more with Congress about the programs it is eliminating and the scope of the cuts. But congressional Republicans want to remain in lockstep with the way President Donald Trump and Musk are cutting the federal government, and have so far carefully carried out their pushback. GOP Rep. Dan Newhouse told CNN, “We have a meeting scheduled with Mr. Musk this evening to talk about these kinds of things, to engage Congress more, to be more thoughtful about some of the things that he’s doing,” “We support the underlying efforts here and the goals, but we want to impress upon him how that we should be more strategic,” Newhouse said. Some House Republicans have been pleading with leadership for guidance on how to respond to the outpouring of questions from their home districts on recent federal cuts. Republicans have taken to privately urging humane treatment for federal workers in lieu of condemning elements of the administration’s approach. As the confusion around what federal grants remain flowing and how the firing of federal employees is being handled, Republicans, who continue to hear an earful from their constituents, want answers about DOGE’s process.