Senate Judiciary Chair Chuck Grassley said Congress is powerless in the face of cuts from Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency.
“Congress can’t do anything except complain” about the slashing of the federal government at the hands of Musk and his allies, Grassley said during a press call on Tuesday, according to a report from RadioIowa.
The Iowan’s comments serve as a stark admission that, despite growing Republican discomfort that Musk’s actions are getting the green light from President Donald Trump, there is little the GOP might be able, or willing, to do.
Musk and his allies are leading an executive branch-wide effort to dismantle the federal government, moving to fire officials and employees across agencies and access taxpayer data. The moves have prompted an onslaught of litigation seeking to stop Musk’s campaign, and some Republicans have started to directly push back against some of the cuts.
But Grassley also said the experience of losing a job was personal for him, recalling decades ago when he was dismissed from multiple positions before being elected to the Senate.
“It’s a tragedy for people that are getting laid off,” Grassley said.
