Congressional Democrats to Trump: Changes can't be done in secrecy

Congressional Democratic enactment warned President Donald Trump connected Tuesday that they would usage upcoming authorities backing talks arsenic leverage to combat the administration's changes successful U.S. authorities agencies.

Democrats' warnings travel arsenic the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Elon Musk, moved the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) nether the power of the U.S. State Department earlier this week. The medication has said they are reviewing USAID’s overseas assistance activities to "ensure it is successful alignment with an America First agenda.”

"Whatever DOGE is doing, it's not democracy," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer told reporters Tuesday. "We cognize what ideology looks like. It's retired successful the open. It's not secret."

Democrats could propulsion backmost connected immoderate of the astir caller changes successful the U.S. authorities by withholding votes connected a caller spending bill. A short-term continuing solution keeping the authorities moving is acceptable to expire connected March 14.

On Monday, legislature Democrats protested extracurricular closed USAID offices, saying the Trump medication had overreached its authority.

"If you privation to alteration an agency, present a measure and walk a law," Democratic Senator Brian Schatz said. "You cannot question distant an bureau that you don't similar oregon that you disagree with by enforcement order, oregon by virtually storming into the gathering and taking implicit the servers. That is not however the American strategy of authorities works."

USAID manages tens of billions of dollars successful U.S. overseas assistance programs.

"The Constitution requires that the backing beryllium spent by the president and the administration," House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said Tuesday. "The Constitution requires the president has a work to instrumentality attraction that the laws are faithfully executed. Spending agreements passed done the appropriations process are law, and erstwhile those laws are violated, the Constitution is being violated, which is wherefore determination has been a flurry of righteous litigation that has been unleashed."

Congressional Republicans person expressed enactment for attempts to weed retired fraud and maltreatment successful the U.S. assistance system.

"I don't deliberation they're closing an agency, but I bash deliberation they person the close to reappraisal backing and however those decisions are made and what priorities are being funded," Senate Majority Leader John Thune told reporters Tuesday. "I deliberation that's astir apt existent of immoderate administration. When they travel in, determination are tons of programs authorized and funded done that agency, immoderate which I deliberation are operating the mode successful which they were intended, immoderate which aren't."

The White House criticized USAID-funded projects supporting diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives and different efforts it argues are a discarded of payer funds.

"If there's monolithic fraud, if the funds aren't being directed to wherever the Congress has appropriated and the president has signed, past we request to cognize astir that," Roger Wicker, the Senate Armed Services chairman, told American quality networks CNN and CBS Monday.

"I person felt for a agelong clip that USAID is our mode to combat the Belt and Road Initiative, which is China's effort to truly summation power astir the world, including Africa and South America and the Western Hemisphere," Wicker continued. "So we request an assistance programme to lucifer the Chinese effort, but it needs to beryllium done successful a mode that the policymakers of the United States person decided ought to beryllium done."

Schumer said Tuesday he's supportive of efforts to destruct fraud and maltreatment but criticized the velocity and secrecy of the process.