The Daily Populous Wednesday February 5th, 2025 morning edition
Authored by commondreams.org and submitted by Murky-Site7468

Hours after Democratic lawmakers warned that billionaire Elon Musk's takeover of federal agencies is "what the beginning of dictatorship looks like," expressed outrage at being barred from entering the U.S. Agency for International Development, and vowed to take legislative action and launch legal challenges to stop Musk's "outrageous" maneuver, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez spoke out against Democrats who are proceeding as though a constitutional crisis isn't taking place.

"No Democrat should be voting to advance [President Donald] Trump's nominees while all of this stuff is going on," said the New York Democrat in a 90-minute Instagram Live video Monday evening. "There has to be a political price to pay and we have a responsibility as a party to block everything that is happening while they're setting a literal mash to the federal government."

Ocasio-Cortez aired her live video—an overview of Musk's takeover of Treasury Department payment systems, USAID, and his push to cut billions in federal spending for social services to secure an extension of Trump's 2017 tax cuts for the rich—as the Senate was voting to confirm fracking company CEO Chris Wright to be the country's next energy secretary.

Seven Democratic senators—Sens. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.)—joined Republicans in supporting Wright, as did Sen. Angus King (I-Maine), who caucuses with the Democrats.

In addition to overlooking Musk's seizure of USAID and payment systems that contain personal data of millions of people who receive Social Security checks, Medicare, and other payments and benefits from the government, the Democrats approved a nominee who has accused the party of pushing for Soviet-style communism through efforts to combat the climate emergency and has said, "There is no climate crisis."

"There is no reason for business as usual while Elon Musk is fueling a constitutional crisis."

Ocasio-Cortez said Democrats must make the Trump administration and the GOP "fight for every single step. The slower they go, the less they can break."

"We have to stop playing nice in the Senate and block every damn thing that we can," said Ocasio-Cortez, who did not speak directly about Wright's confirmation vote. "Do not give votes to the nominees."

Ocasio-Cortez urged voters to call their senators and demand that they vote against Trump's nominees who still have to be confirmed, including Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for health and human services secretary, Pam Bondi for attorney general, and Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) for United Nations ambassador.

The Democrats, who hold 47 Senate seats compared to Republicans' 53, don't have the numbers to block the president's nominees through a vote—but they could push for nominations to be withdrawn, as former Rep. Matt Gaetz's was for attorney general amid sexual abuse allegations against him—and at least display "a gesture of resistance," as historian Keith Orejel said Tuesday.

Organizers applauded Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), who spoke at a rally outside USAID on Monday, for announcing a plan to place a blanket hold on all of Trump's nominees for State Department positions until Musk and the administration end their effort to shut down USAID.

"Until and unless this brazenly authoritarian action is reversed and USAID is functional again, I will be placing a blanket hold on all of the Trump administration's State Department nominees," said Schatz. "This is self-inflicted chaos of epic proportions that will have dangerous consequences all around the world."

Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) said he would support Schatz's holds, telling a reporter, "We're all in this together."

A blanket hold communicates to the Senate majority leader that lawmakers would object to a nomination by unanimous consent, slowing down the confirmation process and other legislative business Republicans want to address.

Stefanik's nomination for U.N. ambassador could be directly impacted by the blanket hold.

Schatz's announcement displayed "crucial leadership," said Leah Greenberg, co-founder of the grassroots advocacy group Indivisible.

"There is no reason for business as usual," she said, "while Elon Musk is fueling a constitutional crisis."

Closed223 on February 4th, 2025 at 18:46 UTC »

Outrage is happening but it is not finding its way to the media, yet. For example, I encourage you to take the time to watch 42 minutes of fully impassioned senators and house reps speaking at the USAID headquarters yesterday. Listen to the primary source (their own words) and what they are saying because it isn't being reported fully, which results in people thinking there are only crickets chirping. Primary sources are important right now.

https://www.youtube.com/live/stI7ZIb9FDg?si=vRtsH1N0pgH_RaJ7

Contact the offices of everyone that spoke in this video and thank them for fighting the good fight. There are Democrats out there speaking out and we need to show them an avalanche of support.

Foreign-Repeat9813 on February 4th, 2025 at 18:08 UTC »

Elon Musk is a fraud. Prominent Wall Street investor James Chanos has identified billions in federal subsidies that are still being funneled to Musk and Tesla.

For example, Musk's Cybertruck was confirmed eligible for a $7,500 per vehicle federal subsidy. Cybertruck's purchase price is now only $72,490 because you, the hard-working taxpayer are paying Musk and Tesla corporate welfare.

While Elon Musk is gutting government services that assist everyday Americans, Musk continues to take tens of billions annually in subsidies. Subsidies paid by you the hard-working U.S. taxpayer.

Call your representatives and demand they protect your hard-earned tax dollars and end subsidies to Elon Musk's companies.

Plastic-Lion-736 on February 4th, 2025 at 17:33 UTC »

Only two things can stop this. Not the courts, not the blustering, the stern letters, the grandstanding in front of microphones.

Mass strikes and boycotts.

We need a real leader to organize this.

Capitalism only knows profits.