GOP lawmakers finally move to wrest control over Elon Musk and DOGE: report

Congressional Republicans alarmed by the head-spinning speed with which Elon Musk has been upending the federal government are taking steps to gain back some control over the Department of Government Efficiency, according to a new report in Newsweek.

So far, DOGE has shuttered whole agencies and recommended more than 200,000 job cuts, some of which have then been brought back in a haphazard fashion, confusing everyone involved. Republican lawmakers have gotten an earful about the chaos from their constituents, and the courts have taken up the legality of many of the cuts.

"For the first time since the initiative began, congressional Republicans are pushing to impose checks and balances on Musk and exert more control over DOGE's cuts," wrote Newsweek's Martha McHardy. "The move signals a growing effort by Republicans to reclaim Congress' authority over federal spending."

Republican lawmakers in the House and Senate have met privately with Musk this week to "urge" him to redirect DOGE's cuts through Congress for approval, according to the report.

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Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) reportedly met with Musk for over an hour and recommended that the cuts be processed as "rescission packages." Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) is also reportedly on board with the plan.

According to McHardy, "A rescission package rescinds previously approved funding and requires only a simple majority vote in both the GOP-controlled Senate and House."

Musk answered in the affirmative when asked whether he supported rescission packages, McHardy wrote. "He was also asked whether Congress should have a vote on DOGE's cuts, to which he replied, 'Well, they do have a vote on it,'" McHardy added.

For now, there remains a definite disconnect between DOGE and Congress. McHardy wrote, "In a meeting with House Republicans, Musk distanced himself from the widespread federal firings, blaming department heads."

In addition, "Musk told lawmakers that recently announced plans to cut to cut more than 70,000 jobs at the Department of Veterans Affairs 'wasn't a DOGE decision,'" she wrote.

By requiring DOGE to work directly with Congress, Republican lawmakers are pushing for more accountability and less disruption as Musk looks to cut some $2 trillion from the federal budget.

Read the Newsweek article right here.