'Alarming': Democrats aren't the only ones concerned about Musk

While House Speaker Mike Johnson and many Republican lawmakers have publicly thrown their support behind Elon Musk and his Department of Government Accountability, some letters to constituents suggest otherwise. In a report Monday, the Bulwark reviewed a dozen letters that show Republican lawmakers validating their constituents’ concerns.

Constituents and lawmakers are concerned in particular about Musk’s desire to dismantle USAID and obtain access to Americans’ private data through the Treasury Department. They are also concerned that Musk, whose company SpaceX contracts with the government, would have a conflict of interest.

“A major, implicit undertone of the constituent letters sent by members of Congress is that voters are now fearful that their personal data and government benefits have been put at great risk — accusations that Musk has downplayed,” The Bulwark’s Sam Stein and Joe Perticone write.

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Publicly, Rep. Rob Wittman (R-Va.) said that DOGE can “bring some value” in terms of making the defense department more efficient. But to constituents, he expressed reservations.

He wrote in a letter, “Elon Musk’s impressive track record of innovation provides valuable insights into how we can streamline government operations and leverage technology to better serve our citizens.”

“That said, I share your concerns regarding potential conflicts of interest and overreach,” he wrote. “Protecting the personal information of Americans is a fundamental responsibility, and any breach of privacy is alarming. The prospect of private individuals or companies having unfettered access to sensitive data raises critical questions about accountability, oversight, and the safeguarding of our citizens’ rights.”

Members of Congress have been flooded with calls from concerned constituents about Musk. “It is a deluge on DOGE,” Sen. Tina Smith (D-Minnesota) told the Washington Post. “Truly our office has gotten more phone calls on Elon Musk and what the heck he’s doing mucking around in federal government than I think anything we’ve gotten in years… People are really angry.”

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Stein and Perticone write, “The constituent letters, a dozen of which were shared with The Bulwark by recipients, suggest that Musk is causing nascent discomfort and increasing political anxiety among Republican lawmakers.”

The Bulwark reported that Senator John Curtis (R-Utah) said in a letter that it was “important that DOGE operates with appropriate oversight to maintain transparency, prevent conflicts of interest, and ensure its work remains focused on serving the American people.

Rep. Mike Flood (R-Nebr.) wrote that DOGE was “stressful” to voters. He added that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent had “told me, to my face, that Mr. Musk absolutely does not have full access to the federal payment system.” He said he would take his “responsibility, under the Constitution, very seriously.”

However, in an interview Monday with KETV NewsWatch 7, he was more supportive about DOGE. “At the end of the day this is about rooting out waste, fraud, abuse and looking for ways that the United States can trim and reduce and eliminate, hopefully, our $36 trillion federal debt,” he said.

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