Resisting the Urge to Retreat

 I'm pausing my Monday class preparations/administrative tasks in order to write a message to my senators and representatives. I imagine I'll be doing a lot of that for the foreseeable future. 

Today's ask is for some kind of oversight/check on Elon Musk and his (unelected, unaccountable, non-transparent) "DOGE" operation, which appears to be taking over key avenues of funding, appropriation, and HR in the federal government.

Dear [person]--

I write to express my alarm about the actions of Elon Musk's "DOGE" initiative. Access to sensitive personnel and administrative data and communication channels has traditionally been restricted to people who have been thoroughly vetted, regularly reviewed, and transparently accountable. I see no such safeguards or oversight for DOGE thus far.

Think how the GOP would feel if the situation were reversed. What if a Democratic president brought in a team of billionaire "experts" (who also happen to be some of the president's biggest funders) and their staff to restructure government to the extent we've seen DOGE attempting? What if that president granted this team free reign to access, take over, and reshape huge swathes of government--all without the slightest hint of security clearance, transparent mission parameters, or congressional accountability? What if any employee objecting to granting access/authority to such unknowns were summarily dismissed? Surely the floor of both houses overflow with denunciations, protective legislation, and investigative committees.

A decade ago, former Secretary of State Hilary Rodham Clinton came under heavy fire--rightfully so--for using a private email server. How are DOGE's actions thus far not orders of magnitude more reckless and foolhardy?

Musk and his associates are accustomed to private enterprises in which they are unquestioned bosses. They get to move fast and break things at their whim--in their own companies. But in the USA, we elect representatives to a government that divides the power of the sword and the strings of the purse between different branches. It is the job of the legislative branch to act as a check on executive actions. 

In that spirit, then, I ask that you assert such oversight over DOGE. No one elected Musk. No Congressional body approved his team's operational protocol and limitations. And as far as I can tell, no Congressional committee has asserted its right to review, question, or overrule his decisions. 

This is unacceptable. Musk and DOGE must make themselves open to review, approval, modification, and challenge by Congress and the people that body represents. I ask you to act as the mechanism for that check.

Thank you,

[my name]

I don't expect this to have any immediate effect beyond putting me on the fundraising mailing lists (and perhaps other kinds of lists) for my overwhelmingly MAGA-red representatives. I'm doing this mainly for me, to force myself into some kind of action when my impulse is to curl up into a despair-ball.

That'll have to be enough for today.