By Lisa Mascaro, correspondent for the Associated Press Congress
Washington (AP) – The billionaire Elon Musk arrived in Capitol Hill on Tuesday and learned something new – budget ratales, an obscure legislative tool that could bring legal weight to his federal budget reduction effort and devote reductions.
Musk joined a lunch meeting with the Republican senators only a few hours after the Supreme Court set back to the efforts of the Trump administration to freeze some $ 2 billion in foreign aid funds as part of its closure of the American agency for international development. As he opened the private session, Musk led with a message urging the congress to act.
Above the fried fish plates, the senators explained how the White House could put the billions of dollars in savings which he raised in what is called a budget insurance plan, and send it to the congress for a vote to cancel the funding. Musk seemed delighted, they said.
“He was so happy,” said Senator Lindsey Graham de Caroline du Sud, the republican president of the Senate budget committee, who are one of those who defend the effort. “He didn’t know.”
Later, Musk met republicans from the time in Dinnerte Time in the basement of the Capitol.
“You know, there is a lot of room – a lot of opportunities – to improve spending on government,” Musk said after the camera session. “And then we make good progress.”
The senators’ proposal to consider the budgetary termination tool introduced a future potential phase of the efforts of the government’s efficiency of the government of its musk and arrives at an important moment. The Trump administration is fighting against the court – and before the public opinion court – on the budget cuts that are tearing up by the federal government.
The Trump administration and the Republicans at the Congress are impatient to show voters that Doge actions are more than the major losses of job losses and disturbances, but real savings while the Musk team deploys waste, fraud and abuse to help reduce the annual deficit of $ 2 billion in the country.
This also occurs when the courts skeptically look at the legality of the Trump administration’s actions and the city halls of the legislators are exceeded by demonstrators who push answers while tens of thousands of federal workers are dismissed.
The head of the majority of the Senate, John Thune, made half a player that he was a little worried after Musk made his mobile phone number so that the senators could call with any concern.
“I thought, ok, his phone will start exploding,” said Thune on Fox News. “He might want to change his number.”
Senators said that Help Musc, Katie Miller, would set up a direct line that they could also call with all questions or problems on the cuts.
Senator Josh Hawley, R-MO., Said the senators seemed to ask “better communication, wanting to know what will happen next”.
But Hawley said, “I don’t know anyone at the White House knows what will happen next.” He said that Musk’s team seems to “just go from something to the next”.
It was Senator Rand Paul, R-Ky., Who presented the idea of using budget cancellations during the lunch meeting.
“I love what Elon does. I love cutting in waste. I love to find all the crazy bullshit that we spend abroad, “said Paul afterwards.
“But to make it real, to make it go beyond the moment of the day, he must return in the form of a termination package,” he said.
The libertarian senator has long been among the most persistent budgetary hawks in the Senate, the one who regularly votes against the bills of federal spending. He said he was planning to oppose the planned federal funding package next week, which is necessary to prevent a federal government closure when money expires on March 14.
Paul said that he explained to Musk that after the decision of the Supreme Matin Court, the administration should abandon his plans to retreat the federal funds by what is called the deductions. The courts do not seem to be inclined to accept the legal arguments presented contesting the law on the control of the deduction of the Nixon era.
Instead, Paul said, “My message to Elon was, let’s get back to restraint and refer it to cancellation.”
The senators said that it was not clear what is the size of the cancellation packages – Paul suggested several packages of at least $ 100 billion in federal cuts – or how long they could move forward with a vote if the White House sends them to Capitol Hill.
Musk previously declared to the legislators that he considered that Doge could save some 1 dollars of the federal government this year only.
Thune and other GOP managers immediately made no comments on the cancellation plans.
The idea was only briefly mentioned at the meeting with the House Republicans, who said Musk mainly provided examples of specific problems he found.
Musk also told the Republicans of the Chamber that he was not responsible for the layoffs of veterans or other workers, and said that these decisions were taken by specific agencies.
“Elon does not shoot people,” said representative Richard Hudson, Rn.C., later. “These are the agencies.”
Although a cancellation set can be approved in the Senate by a simple majority vote with an accelerated process that would allow the republican majority to maneuver around a potential filibusier by democrats, it could be easier to say.
Senators of the credit committee are likely to panorify the idea of spending reductions which would essentially go against the legislation they had already approved to finance the government, as well as those who may want to preserve federal funding for certain Industries or Programs of the Original State which are important for voters.
Even with a majority of the GOP, it could be difficult to keep all the unified Republicans during a vote, especially if all the Democrats are opposed.
Graham, the budget president, considers the process as a means “for the White House to be in an offense”.
“We lose altitude,” he said. “We must resume the game, in attack, and the way you can find the altitude is to take the work product – move away from personalities and drama – take the work product and vote on it.”
In the absence of the Lunch of the meeting with Musk, a great discussion on federal workers who are now without work after the Doge Cutts.
“Whenever there is a transition, it’s difficult,” said Paul.
The senator said that several people had spoken to make sure that “we are not getting rid of the people we really need and that we are not doing too much.”
However, Paul said: “We need a smaller government. We need fewer federal workers. »»
The journalist of Associated Press Leah Askarinam contributed to this report.
Originally published:
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