Outraged Democrats are testing the limits of their diminished power as they try to stop the stunning power grabs of President Donald Trump and his chief lieutenant, Elon Musk. Related video above: Protesters, Democratic lawmakers rally against Elon Musk's role in federal government changes. Democratic members of Congress threatened to try to bring Trump's agenda, including his Cabinet nominations, to a grinding halt. Operatives assembled a new war room in their party headquarters.
And average Americans, backed by a sudden influx of elected officials, warned of a looming constitutional crisis at ballooning protests across the nation's capital. Republicans control the White House and both chambers of Congress, while the Supreme Court is led by a conservative majority. Musk, the world's wealthiest person, oversees a team of people at the Department of Government Efficiency in Washington.
None of it is happening with congressional approval, inviting a constitutional clash over the limits of presidential authority. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, a rising star in her party, said no elected Democrat should help Republicans govern in the GOP-controlled House, even if that leads to a government shutdown.
Lisa Blunt Rochester, D-Del. The growing outcry from Democrats extends well beyond Washington, where some rank-and-file Democrats are upset that their representatives in Congress are not doing enough. Ezra Levin, who leads the Democratic activist group Indivisible, said that 50, people joined a call on Sunday to pressure senators to take a tougher stand against Musk.
Treasury payment system. Philip Joyce, a public policy professor at the University of Maryland, noted that the Trump administration has been more than willing to work around Congress during its latest round of executive actions.
