There’s an old saying about government, that sunlight is the best of disinfectants.
We could use a lot more sunlight right now inside various federal agencies which have been targeted by Elon Musk and his budget-cutting team.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with the Trump administration trying to root out waste, fraud and abuse. If Musk can find that in large quantities, he will deserve praise.
But members of Congress, federal workers — and the voters — shouldn’t have to guess what Musk and Trump are doing.
Asked in the Oval Office for more information, Musk referred reporters to the website of the Department of Government Efficiency.
At that moment, it was empty. A few tweets were added the next day.
While DOGE has tweeted out examples of canceled contracts, little has been publicly shared about job cuts, or plans to dramatically reshape federal agencies.
Members of Congress who went to various federal offices to ask questions were stopped at the door. In some cases, agencies were shuttered. Thousands of workers were sent home with pay but offered no guidance on their future.
Two examples were striking. Both the U.S. Agency for International Development and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau were put into law by Congress and logically, both should only be taken apart by Congress.
But that clearly isn’t the plan — Musk’s or Trump’s.
“This is a defining moment in our country,” said Georgia U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock, as Democrats worried about what’s next.
“Elon Musk and DOGE should be nowhere near the CDC,” added U.S. Rep. Nikema Williams, D-Atlanta.
Sunlight is also needed on a somewhat haphazard White House funding freeze which was blocked by the courts — but continues to slow federal payments.
Farmers have seen conservation money dry up. Community health centers and Head Start operations have been crippled. Some education grants have stopped.
Georgians shouldn’t have to guess about what gets funded and what does not.
With lawsuits mounting, sooner or later these fights may land at the U.S. Supreme Court. Back in 1997, the justices frowned on the idea of a president arbitrarily changing spending decisions made by Congress.
“There is no provision in the Constitution that authorizes the President to enact, to amend, or to repeal statutes,” the majority wrote.
If President Donald Trump keeps Congress and the American people involved and informed, the DOGE spending cuts will have broad legitimacy.
But if Trump opts to run roughshod over Congress and the courts, it may produce a much darker constitutional battle.
Sunshine is good for all of us — even for Musk and Trump.
Jamie Dupree has covered national politics and Congress from Washington, D.C. since the Reagan administration. His column appears weekly in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. For more, check out his Capitol Hill newsletter at http://jamiedupree.substack.com
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