Trump And Musk's Dismantling Of Government Is Shaking The Foundations Of Us Democracy

When Elon Musk debuted the Department of Government Efficiency recently at the Capitol, House Speaker Mike Johnson enthusiastically predicted the coming Trump administration would bring "a lot of change around here."

Three weeks in, the change the Trump administration has brought is a disruption of the federal government on an unprecedented scale, dismantling longstanding programs , sparking widespread public outcry and challenging the very role of Congress to create the nation's laws and pay its bills.

Government workers are being pushed to resign . Entire agencies are being shuttered . Federal funding to states and nonprofits was temporarily frozen . And the most sensitive Treasury Department information of countless Americans was opened to Musk's DOGE team in an unprecedented breach of privacy and protocol.

"This is an erosion of our democracy," said Brian Riedl, a longtime economic adviser to conservative Republicans, now at the Manhattan Institute think tank.

President Donald Trump has tapped Musk, the world's richest man, to take on inner workings of the world's oldest democracy, and so far the results are stunning, if not alarming and unlawful, being challenged in dozens of court cases nationwide.