GOP congressman urges Elon Musk to 'take a half-step back' and be more 'compassionate'
Elon Musk leaves following a luncheon with members of the Senate Republican Conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., March 5, 2025. REUTERS/Kent Nishimura
With the blessing of President Donald Trump, Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has been rampaging through federal agencies and firing tens of thousands of federal workers. Now, at least one House Republican is asking Musk to ease off the gas pedal.
On Wednesday, CNN congressional reporter Manu Raju followed Rep. Rich McCormick (R-Ga.) in a Capitol hallway to ask him about Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which is carrying out Trump's mass firings across multiple agencies. McCormick — who will be attending a House Republican meeting with the South African centibillionaire tonight — said he hopes Musk will alter his approach going forward.
"If he just takes a half-step back, we'll do something that I think can be compassionate, at the same time something that's impactful," McCormick said.
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"He's admitted to things. He said, 'Look, we're doing some things wrong, but we're learning," McCormick said when Raju asked him what he meant by "taking a half-step back."
The Georgia Republican's plea to the world's richest man to exercise more compassion as DOGE's unofficial chief is particularly noteworthy, given that McCormick is one of several House Republicans who has been recently confronted by angry constituents at town hall meetings. Constituents in McCormick's GOP district were especially bothered by Musk's representatives firing employees at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) who were working on the ongoing avian flu outbreak, along with Department of Energy staff charged with managing the United States' nuclear arsenal. McCormick's congressional district is close to the CDC's base of operations in Atlanta.
Whether Musk ultimately pulls back on his efforts is unlikely, given that Trump has encouraged the tech billionaire to be "more aggressive" in his approach. He added that Musk was "doing a great job" so far.
Watch the video of McCormick's comments below, or by clicking this link.
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