As tech billionaire Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) task force takes a hacksaw to the federal workforce, firing tens of thousands of workers in possible violation of the law and canceling contracts and grants by decree, House and Senate Republicans have started a growing chorus in attempts to rein in the chaos a bit.
But in most cases, wrote Catherine Rampell in a scathing analysis for The Washington Post, they aren't doing this out of any good-governance principle, but to beg for favors for their friends and voters.
In short, she wrote, a "cuts for thee, but not for me" attitude.
"When it comes to evaluating the wisdom of these cuts, the president’s allies appear less troubled by the merits of such decisions than by how they affect them personally," wrote Rampell. "As one recent example, Fox News personality Jesse Watters "recently pleaded during a segment on behalf of a friend laid off by DOGE. ... Watters deemed the man worthy of his Pentagon post, unlike the rest of those good-for-nothing public servants working to keep Americans safe."
Meanwhile, Republican lawmakers who actually have power to limit Musk's powers with legislation are not doing so, instead praising his overall mission while criticizing specific areas where it harms them.
"For instance, as Trump works to slash biomedical funding for private research institutions, Sen. Katie Boyd Britt (R-AL) has praised his efforts: 'Every cent of hard-earned taxpayer money should be spent efficiently, judiciously, and accountably — without exception,' Britt told AL.com when asked about the billions of dollars in cuts to National Institutes of Health grants."
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However, she "promised to sidle up to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and lobby for a reprieve" for the University of Alabama's research.
The list goes on, Rampell said, with many other lawmakers from red states, like Sens. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) and Jerry Moran (R-KS) similarly asking for carveouts from Musk's rampage in their own states, but not proposing any legislation to actually subject Musk's cuts to any real oversight.
The most egregious examples, she argued, are lawmakers who plead ignorance with their own constituents rather than even asking for help on their behalf — like newly elected Rep. Nick Begich (R-AK). At a recent town hall, Rampell noted, 'He claimed he learned of budget cuts impacting Alaska 'on Twitter' and 'had no idea these things were going on' in advance — despite, uhh, being a member of the House DOGE Caucus."
"Perhaps lawmakers should be required to read the Constitution before they swear an oath to it," Rampell concluded."
