Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are feeling the wrath of constituents as their phone lines light up with complaints, worries and confusion over Elon Musk's efforts to gut government programs and fire longtime civil servants.
According to a report from the Washington Post, phone lines are jammed and there is no room in voicemail systems for voters to leave messages leading one lawmaker to admit, "It is a deluge on DOGE."
Musk is causing no small amount of grief for House and Senate members with his announcements on X about which departments he will be targeting next as Donald Trump gives him free rein to create chaos.
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"Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) said the Senate’s phones were receiving 1,600 calls each minute, compared with the usual 40 calls per minute," the Post is reporting. "Many of the calls she’s been receiving are from people concerned about U.S. DOGE Service employees having broad access to government systems and sensitive information. The callers are asking whether their information is compromised and about why there isn’t more transparency about what is happening, she said."
Murkowski is particularly vulnerable because her state employs a larger than-normal number of federal workers.
“Truly our office has gotten more phone calls on Elon Musk and what the heck he’s doing mucking around in federal government than I think anything we’ve gotten in years," Sen. Tina Smith (D-MN) complained. "People are really angry.”
Sen. Angus King (I-ME) told reporters, "We can hardly answer the phones fast enough. It’s a combination of fear, confusion and heartbreak, because of the importance of some of these programs.”
"Lawmakers, including Republicans, have asked for clarity from the White House about the scope of Musk’s team’s access to data, including classified and personal information, this week. Some also expressed confusion about what is going on," the report states with Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) confessing, "A lot of people think that Elon Musk is off the chain and causing all kinds of havoc."
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