By CHARLIE SPIERING, SENIOR POLITICAL REPORTER, WASHINGTON, DC
Elon Musk‘s nerd army stormed into the Department of Education on Tuesday and saved over $900 million.
Musk’s DOGE lieutenants Akash Bobba and Ethan Shaotran, both 22, already have access to the department, NBC News reported.
Rep. Melanie Stansbury, (D-NM) described the terror agency staff are feeling after Musk’s team entered to ‘actively dismantle’ the institution.
‘They are in the building, on the 6th floor, canceling grants and contracts,’ she said in an interview with HuffPost.
‘It’s not legal. They know it’s not legal. But they’re doing it anyway,’ Stansbury went on. ‘The only recourse we have right now is to to go the courts.’
She added that she expects the agency to be ‘dissolved in the coming days.’
The Department of Education was targeted by Donald Trump during his campaign, He is keen to dismantle the so-called ‘Deep State’ constantly working against conservatives.
Most Republicans believe the department employs some of the most activist liberal bureaucrats in the federal government.
Trump plans to sign another executive order on Tuesday to order all agencies to work with DOGE, according to Semafor, including with the ‘workplace optimization initiative.’
People hold signs as they gather for a ‘Save the Civil Service’ rally hosted by the American Federation of Government Employees
The order is the latest sign that Trump is fully on board with Musk’s efforts amidst protests from Democrats that he is an unelected billionaire.
The department has already terminated 89 Education Department contracts worth $881 million.
And over 29 training grants for DEI have been eliminated saving $101 million, according to the DOGE X account.
President Donald Trump campaigned on shutting down the Department of Education and sending the funding back to the states to fund their schools as they see fit.
He also said last week that it’s a goal to put his Education Secretary Linda McMahon ‘out of a job.’
Government workers and sympathetic activists rallied on Tuesday at a ‘Save the Civil Service’ rally hosted by the American Federation of Government Employees in Washington, DC.
Was this a harmless joke or an alarming breach of workplace safety?Harmless jokeAlarming breach
Democratic lawmakers were denied entry to the Department building in Washington, DC on Friday.
Democratic members of congress raged at an unnamed individual blocking their way, demanding to see his identification and answer their questions.
Rep. Maxine Waters of Californiademanded the individual blocking her access to reveal his name, but he refused.
The White House on Tuesday reacted to Waters’ aggressive behavior, calling her ‘annoying AF.’
‘This deranged behavior is like a scene ripped straight out of Flowers in the Attic,’ White House Director of Communications Steven Cheung wrote on social media.
DOGE employees continue to fan across federal agencies as the group looks to cut wasteful spending.
Democrats have rallied behind activists protesting Musk’s efforts to cut costs, announcing Monday his decision to launch a special task force to combat Trump’s actions to cut government.
The group is co-chaired by Reps. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), along with Gerry Connolly (D-VA) and Jamie Raskin (D-MD), two members of Congress from states bordering Washington, DC.
‘We are engaged in a multifaceted struggle to protect and defend everyday Americans from the harm being inflicted by this administration,’ Jeffries wrote in a letter announcing the group.
Republican Speaker Mike Johnson endorsed Musk’s efforts during a press conference on Tuesday.
‘What Elon and the DOGE effort is doing right now is what Congress has been unable to do in recent years because the agencies have hidden some of this from us,’ he said, calling their efforts ‘good, and right for the American people.’
‘Stay tuned, there is a lot more to come,’ he added
