WH Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt and Elon Musk Deliver a Brutal Reminder to Democrats Whining About DOGE’s Efforts to Shrink the Federal Government

[Jipsah]

...as of yesterday, the person is charge....is in Mexico.

And?

 

[Jipsah]

And US government sub-agencies go through the whole budget exercise every year under various budget levels (5% cut, flat, inflation, 5% growth, etc.) and then wait for Congress to set the budget level. (The only Constitutionally authorized power that can set budget levels.)

True enough. But the Chief Executive, i.e., POTUS, i.e. Trump, can hire folks to do his bidding. In the end, Trump and Musk are Master and Man. The authority is Trump's, Musk is simply his hatchetman.

 

[wing2000]

And?

...but guess who attended the first meeting of the President's cabinet? It was the alleged DOGE person in charge.

True enough. But the Chief Executive, i.e., POTUS, i.e. Trump, can hire folks to do his bidding. In the end, Trump and Musk are Master and Man. The authority is Trump's, Musk is simply his hatchetman.

The "authority" you reference will be decided in the courts.

 

[Hans Blaster]

True enough. But the Chief Executive, i.e., POTUS, i.e. Trump, can hire folks to do his bidding. In the end, Trump and Musk are Master and Man. The authority is Trump's, Musk is simply his hatchetman.

However many clumsy hatchetmen Trump hires, it is still the Congress that sets the levels of spending.

 

[Bradskii]

Obviously. Musk is an employee, Trump's his boss.

And there you are.

It gets worse. Not only is he not in charge of DOGE, he doesn't even work for them. I guess Trump lied yet again: https://www.reuters.com/world/us/tr...-house-says-elon-musk-charge-doge-2025-02-20/

"I signed an order creating the Department of Government Efficiency and put a man named Elon Musk in charge,"

But from here: https://www.npr.org/2025/02/26/nx-s1-5310634/amy-gleason-doge-administrator

'Monday, when Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly asked (who was running it) Justice Department attorney Bradley Humphreys during a hearing in a lawsuit brought against the Treasury Department over its sharing of payment information with DOGE.

"I don't know the answer to that," Humphreys said, according to Lawfare.

To call it a clown show is an insult to clowns everywhere.

 

[Bradskii]

The authority is Trump's...

No. It's not. The authority is Congress.

 

[Bradskii]

And?

And...she's on holiday. The president sets up a new department, says it's going to do great things in cutting millions of employees, billions in dollars, puts you in charge and you go for a holiday in Mexico?

 

[Jipsah]

And...she's on holiday. The president sets up a new department, says it's going to do great things in cutting millions of employees, billions in dollars, puts you in charge and you go for a holiday in Mexico?

Hey, our last "president" spent most of his terure on holiday, not all of it physical.

 

[Jipsah]

No. It's not. The authority is Congress.

Musk doesn't work for Congress, DOGE is a part of the executive branch.

 

[Belk]

Musk doesn't work for Congress, DOGE is a part of the executive branch.

Musk does not work for DOGE.

 

[Bradskii]

Hey, our last "president" spent most of his terure on holiday, not all of it physical.

What does that have to do with it? Who gets put in charge of one of the most significant dumpster fires in recent political history and then goes on vacation? Well, actually it may have been a smart move on her part.

 

[Bradskii]

Musk doesn't work for Congress, DOGE is a part of the executive branch.

And Musk doesn't work for DOGE. And him seemingly controlling what is and is not being spent is not his job either. That's the responsibility of Congress.

When did they stop teaching all this is school?

 

[Jipsah]

What does that have to do with it?That nobody seemed to mind that Dementia Joe spent more time at Rehoboth Beach than he did at the White House

Who gets put in charge of one of the most significant dumpster fires in recent political history

<Laugh> What, the chucking out of a lot of the most pernicious crud that the US government has been collecting over the years? But it apt, I suppose. There's a lot of stuff going in the dumpster that should have been there long ago. Housekeeping is long overdue.

and then goes on vacation? Well, actually it may have been a smart move on her part.

Make little difference in any case. I'm sure she can be reached by phone if need be.

Relax, Brad. Everything is gonna be OK.

 

[Jipsah]

And Musk doesn't work for DOGE. And him seemingly controlling what is and is not being spent is not his job either. That's the responsibility of Congress.

Nope. The stuff that DOGE is laying into is part of the Executive branch. Congress creates some of them, and appropriates money for them, but the Executive Branch runs them. You actually believe that all of the munchkins who infest the Federal offices across the US were hired and/or fired by act of Congress?

When did they stop teaching all this is school?

Never did, because it was never true.

 

[Bradskii]

What, the chucking out of a lot of the most pernicious crud that the US government has been collecting over the years?

As well as 'chucking out' a lot of things with which you wouldn't agree, food and medical aid has been stopped. And in some cases terminated. What lunacy is it to literally stop everything while you look for ways to save money? Is it beyond the abilities of those put in charge of this to look at what money is being earmarked for what cause and then make an argument either for it remaining or for it being reduced or cancelled?

I mean, they are going to have to do this anyway. You can't say 'this must be stopped' without detailing how much is being spent, who is spending it what it is being spent on and the likely outcome of it being terminated.

 

[Bradskii]

Nope. The stuff that DOGE is laying into is part of the Executive branch. Congress creates some of them, and appropriates money for them, but the Executive Branch runs them.

That's what the executive branch does. Executes what Congress has said they can do with the money. The clue is in the name. Congress holds the purse strings. Congress alocates the money. Only congress can increase or decrease or terminate what is being spent. That is why there are so many court cases where judges are saying 'Whoa, no - you can't just stop payments on a whim'.

Notwithsatnding that Musk doesn't appear to have the first idea of what he is doing.They had to walk back his outrageous demands for 'five things you did last week, or you're fired' so now it was just emails to see if someone was dead or non existent. Just how in heaven's name can you do that when millions ignored it anyway. Do you have any idea? No, of course not. Neither does Musk.

All he did was 1) prompt people to ask 'Who is actually running this clown show?' (spoiler alert: not Musk). And 2) make everyone connected with the farce look remarkably stupid.