- United States
- Texas
- Letter
Defend democratic institutions, reassert Congressional powers against lawless overreach
To: Sen. Cornyn, Sen. Cruz, Rep. McCaul
From: A constituent in Bryan, TX
March 21
The Trump administration's partnership with Elon Musk and his "DOGE" team to dismantle government agencies and override Congressional spending authority is a brazen violation of the separation of powers enshrined in the Constitution. This unilateral effort to gut longstanding federal programs, access sensitive data, and sideline career civil servants strikes at the very foundations of our democratic system of checks and balances. While the president has certain executive powers, the wholesale defunding of agencies like USAID and the Department of Education without Congressional approval is unlawful. Likewise, allowing a private entity like DOGE to breach Treasury Department systems and access millions of Americans' private information is a stunning breach of public trust and privacy rights. This Constitutional crisis demands a forceful response from Congress to reassert its power of the purse and oversight authority. Failing to act emboldens further erosion of Congressional prerogatives and core democratic principles. The courts have already begun pushing back, but the legislative branch must use every tool at its disposal – from funding restrictions to investigations to inherent contempt – to uphold the rule of law and defend our democratic institutions from this hostile takeover.