Cory Booker

In the Senate, Republicans will need support from at least eight Democrats to get the bill to President Donald Trump’s desk.

'Let local schools make those kinds of decisions'

Senate Democrats want to leave the issue of trans athletes playing in women's sports to state and local governments.Why it matters: Democrats privately admit they need a sharper response to counter Republican attacks on their support for transgender rights, especially when it involves sports.In the Senate, their emerging strategy is to argue that one part of the issue is best left to the states, while acknowledging concerns about athletes gaining an unfair advantage."There are basic issues of fairness here," said Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) "There are really important issues that we should be discussing on the local level, within sports leagues and within conferences."Between the lines: The Democratic messaging effort has been spearheaded by Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), sources tell Axios.Baldwin, the first openly gay person elected to the Senate, faced a barrage of attacks on the topic in her 2024 reelection campaign.She feared Republicans were flooding the zone with their attacks without Democrats having a clear and consistent rebuttal."Republicans in Washington are saying they know better than parents and local school districts," she said in a statement. "They are wrong. I trust parents, schools and local sports leagues to make these decisions for their children."Zoom in: The issue was thrust into the public Thursday by California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), who broke with progressives by saying transgender participation in sports was an "issue of fairness.""It's deeply unfair," Newsom, a potential 2028 presidential candidate, told Charlie Kirk on his inaugural podcast, "This Is Gavin Newsom."Senate Democrats this week blocked a bill that would have banned trans athletes from women's sports. Not a single Democrat voted to bring the bill to the floor.What they are saying: Some Senate Democrats agreed with Newsom on the sports fairness issue, but they said to be careful that the overall conversation doesn't demonize transgender athletes. They also want to avoid federal overreach."It's leading to more bullying. It's leading to more mental health issues as people are feeling targeted," Booker told Axios. "Yes, when it comes to sports leagues, they have to find a way to create fairness."Said Sen. Angus King (I-Maine): "I understand the concern. I have a daughter who was a high school athlete. Interestingly, when I asked her about this issue, she said, by all means, there should not be a federal ban.""Every state and every community is going to come to their own decision on it," Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) told Axios.The bottom line: "Everyone deserves a level playing field, but the governing bodies — the parents, the coaches, the NCAA ... need to make those decisions," said Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.)."We let local schools make those kinds of decisions," said Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.) "There's no one set of facts. These are going to be pretty complicated situations."

U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren is scheduled to deliver the keynote address at the Colorado Democratic Party's annual fundraising dinner in May, the party announced this week.

Pritzker has stepped into the role as one of President Trump's most direct and pugnacious critics. It's a balancing act with his responsibilities in Springfield, writes statehouse reporter Brenden Moore.

Booker says firing Joint Chiefs chairman sends a ‘dangerous message’ to the military on political loyalty.

President Trump's firings of Joint Chiefs of Staff chair Gen. Charles "CQ" Brown, Jr. and other top military leaders sends a "dangerous message" to service members about how the administration regards political loyalty, Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) said Sunday. Why it matters: The controversial dismissals, which also hit Adm. Lisa Franchetti and Vice Chief of Staff Gen. James Slife, come as the U.S. stares down instability abroad and amid tensions with some international allies. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth had in the past questioned whether Brown — a four-star fighter pilot who served as the first Black chief of staff of the Air Force and the second Black general to serve as chairman — was named to the post because of his race. Hegseth said in a Sunday interview with "Fox News Sunday" that while he has "a lot of respect" for Brown, he's "not the right man for the moment."Franchetti, whom CNN reports Hegseth once described as a "DEI hire," was the first woman to serve as the chief of naval operations. Driving the news: Democrats and some former military officials decried Trump's move to boot respected leaders, characterizing the decision as a signal from the administration that partisan loyalties outweighed expertise and experience.The Joint Chiefs chair "should be independent of politics," Booker said on NBC's "Meet the Press Sunday," noting Brown was "supported overwhelmingly" on both sides of the political aisle. But Trump, Booker said, "has thrown that out the window and is sending a dangerous message to the military: 'It's not about your independent expertise. It's not about your years of service. It's about your personal political loyalty to me.'"Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.), the ranking member on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said on ABC's "This Week" that the firings were "completely unjustified" and mark "the beginning of a very, very serious degradation of the military and politicization of the military."Reed highlighted Hegseth's decision to fire the top Army, Navy and Air Force lawyers — judge advocates general, commonly known as JAGs — saying, "If you're going to break the law, the first thing you do is you get rid of the lawyers."The other side: Hegseth slammed Reed's criticism as "a total mischaracterization."He continued, "This is a reflection of the president wanting the right people around him to execute the national security approach we want to take."Zoom in: Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) told ABC's Martha Raddatz in a Sunday interview that he doesn't know whether the firings were "about DEI," contending, "bottom line here to me is the Department of Defense needed a complete overhaul."Trump has for years railed against "woke" generals and "wokeness" he says weakened the military, such as through diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) denied Rep. James Clyburn's (D-S.C.) contention that Trump may have fired Brown because he is Black, arguing to NBC's Kristen Welker Sunday that Clyburn "constantly pulls the race card out.""This had zero, absolutely zero to do with race," Mullin said. Go deeper: Trump orders purge of military academy visitor boards

NBC News National Political Correspondent Steve Kornacki examines how Americans are reacting to the first month of the Trump administration. Republican Sen. Markwayne Mullin (Okla.) discusses the war in Ukraine as it enters its third year. Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) talks about the Democratic Party’s response to Trump. Melanie Zanona, Jonathan Martin, Jeh Johnson and Lanhee Chen join the Meet the Press roundtable.

Beach tags are not just a fee — they’re an investment in the safety, cleanliness and sustainability of our beaches, Cape May Mayor Zack Mullock writes.

Congress has one month to pass its spending bill or risk a government shutdown, and Democrats are hinting that they might take this opportunity to finally challenge President Donald Trump and reclaim some power.Because the GOP has the slimmest of majorities in the House, and at least a few Republicans are likely to jump ship, Speaker Mike Johnson will almost certainly need some Democratic votes to pass anything. And in the Senate, where such a bill will need 60 votes to avoid a filibuster, even if all Republicans support it, Senate Majority Leader John Thune will need Democratic support as well.This means that only a bipartisan deal can end up on Trump’s desk—and that’s how Democrats have a great opportunity to use the power they have, even in the minority. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Democrat of Massachusetts, is joined by other Democrats during a protest at the Treasury Department.Last Sunday, Democratic Sens. Andy Kim and Cory Booker of New Jersey signaled that they are willing to band together to use a government shutdown to curb Trump, who has dismantled federal agencies and tried to enforce unconstitutional orders.“I would be the last person to want to get to that stage. But we are at a point where we are basically on the cusp of a constitutional crisis, seeing this administration taking steps that are so clearly illegal and until we see a change in that behavior, we should not allow and condone that, nor should we assist in that,” Kim said in an interview on NBC News’ “Meet The Press.”“We’re going to stand up against the kind of things that Donald Trump is doing that are hurting Americans, making us less safe and raising costs. We will look at every single tool in our toolbox,” Booker said on CNN’s “State of the Union.”If the government doesn’t pass its spending bill by the March 14 deadline, it will shut down. “Are Democrats willing to shut down the government over this gutting of federal agencies?” MSNBC host Ana Cabrera asked on her show “Ana Cabrera Reports.”“The issue is, are the Republicans going to shut down the government? I’m negotiating in good faith on the Appropriations Committee with my colleagues in the House and the Senate,” Rep. Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut, ranking member of the Appropriations Committee, replied.“We’re negotiating on that, but well, what we need to do is look at the assurances that, in fact, once we do come to an agreement that we will not have an interloper like Donald Trump or Elon Musk or, for that matter, the Speaker of the House saying the agreement’s off,” she added.Other leaders, like House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, are focused less on a government shutdown and more on how they can leverage the limited power they do have through appropriations, litigation, and communications. This entails shielding official government documents from the likes of Trump’s co-President Elon Musk, holding up Trump’s unlawful actions in the courts, and getting creative with how Democrats reach voters.But Jeffries hasn’t entirely ruled out a shutdown.Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Democrat of New York, is seen in the House chamber.Earlier this month, in a 10-point letter to his Democratic colleagues, Jeffries "made clear to House Republican leadership" that "any effort to steal taxpayer money from the American people ... must be choked off in the upcoming government funding bill, if not sooner."Meanwhile, Democrats of different factions, from the Progressive Caucus to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, have hinted at using their votes to reign in Trump and Musk’s gutting of federal agencies and executive overreach.Schumer sent a letter to his colleagues hinting at a shutdown on Monday.“Legislation in the Senate requires 60 votes, and Senate Democrats will use our votes to help steady the ship for the American people in these turbulent times. It is incumbent on responsible Republicans to get serious and work in a bipartisan fashion to avoid a Trump Shutdown,” he wrote.The next day, he took to the Senate floor to put the government shutdown onus on Trump and Musk.“Since the inauguration, unfortunately, President Trump and Republicans have been actively working to shut down the government entirely on their own. Democrats do not want to shut the government down. It’s the Republicans who are in charge, and it is their responsibility to avoid a shutdown,” he said. Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, who is a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, also said that she won’t make it easy on the GOP—and other Democrats shouldn’t either. “It is the Republican majority's responsibility to gather the votes necessary for them to pass their agenda. I do not believe that Democrats should be helping,” she said.Democratic leaders like Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Schumer joined a rally outside of the Treasury Department in response to Musk’s hostile takeover of the department and other agencies. They reiterated that their offices are fielding a staggering volume of calls from constituents asking them to do more to oppose Trump. Using a must-pass funding bill to force Trump’s hand provides the perfect opening for Democrats to do exactly that.Democrats diverted on whether they will actually go through with leveraging a potential shutdown to get what they need, but they seem to agree on one thing: Republicans are to blame. Republicans have put party over country in defending and enabling Trump and his oligarchy. Daily Kos won't let them forget it, and we won't stop fighting back. Support news you can do something about with a $5 donation today.

In a letter to Department of Justice Inspector General Michael Horowitz, Senate Minority Whip and Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee Dick Durbin, Democrat of Illinois, accuses FBI pick Kash Patel of perjury. “Kash Patel has been personally directing the ongoing purge of career civil servants at the Federal Bureau of Investigation,” he wrote in the letter.Sen. Dick Durbin, Democrat of IllinoisIf true, President Donald Trump’s favorite QAnon and Jan. 6 conspiracy theorist would’ve perjured himself under oath—a federal crime with a potential prison sentence of up to 5 years. According to “highly credible information from multiple sources, Mr. Patel is receiving information from within the FBI from a member of the [director’s advisory team],” Durbin wrote in the letter. “Mr. Patel then provides direction to Mr. [Stephen] Miller, who relays it to Acting Deputy Attorney General [Emil] Bove. Each DAT member had represented to one or more officials at the Bureau at some point before January 30 that they had been in direct contact with Mr. Patel.” “For example, several members of the DAT relayed that Mr. Patel personally interviewed them for the position,” he continued. “It is unacceptable for a nominee with no current role in government, much less at the FBI, to personally direct unjustified and potentially illegal adverse employment actions against senior career FBI leadership and other dedicated, nonpartisan law enforcement officers.”xScribd ContentAs Durbin noted, it would be illegal to direct a federal agency as a “private citizen” with “no current role in government” due to the Senate not having voted on his confirmation.Durbin's perjury allegation refers back to an interaction between Patel and Sen. Cory Booker, Democrat of New Jersey, during his hearing on Jan. 30. "Are you aware of any plans or discussions to punish in any way, including termination, FBI agents or personnel associated with Trump investigations? Yes or no?" Booker asked. “I’m not aware of that, Senator. I don't know what's going on right now over there, but I'm committed to you, Senator, and your colleagues that I will honor the internal review process of the FBI,” Patel responded.This is the latest in a slew of letters from Democrats citing concerns over Trump’s FBI pick. On Feb. 3, 10 Senate Democrats—including Durbin—posed “grave concerns” about Patel’s involvement in a dozen FBI and DOJ firings, which targeted people who worked on the Jan. 6 cases against Trump. A day later, 20 Democratic attorneys general cited national security concerns over the same firing spree.Patel has also said he’d “come after” media that doesn’t bend the knee. The Senate vote on whether Patel will lead the FBI will​​ take place on Thursday, and if the vote goes along party lines—as it has so far—he will be confirmed. It’s unclear if Durbin's calls for an investigation into Patel will be ignored. So far, Trump’s cronies have proven that they care little about the U.S. Constitution, court orders, or democratic norms, so it’s not looking promising this time around.You can help ensure that Daily Kos remains the paywall-free home for our shared fight for democracy and justice. Readers like you support Daily Kos. Can you chip in today?

Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) is asking the Department of Justice’s inspector general to investigate “highly credible information” that Kash Patel, President Trump’s pick to head the FBI, is already directing a “purge” of the bureau before he’s been confirmed by the Senate. Durbin said that Patel’s “directives” are being carried out by White House Deputy [...]

The total number of backers, shared exclusively with Fox News Digital, comes just days before the Senate Judiciary Committee will vote to advance Kash Patel's nomination to lead the FBI.

NY Post readers discuss Con Edison’s proposed rate hikes in the wake of the state’s green energy plan.

The Republican senator from North Carolina announced Monday on X he would vote in favor of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s nomination.

Collins is seen during his confirmation hearing last month.

Republicans appear to be rallying behind President Donald Trump’s health secretary nominee

The Trump administration on Friday fired a group of prosecutors involved in the Jan. 6 criminal cases and demanded the names of FBI agents involved in those same probes so they can possibly be ousted.

A U.S. House bill introduced earlier this month would bar those on food stamps from using them to buy soft drinks, candy and more.

Trump's personnel purge continues.

Patel squared off with Democrats for hours over his grand jury testimony in the special counsel probe, involvement with a J6 'inmate choir' and his previous remarks on QAnon.

The former North Dakota governor will play a key role in carrying out President Donald Trump’s pro-fossil-fuel, anti-renewable-energy vision.

Kash Patel, President Trump’s nominee to lead the FBI, was at the center of a contentious confirmation hearing Thursday, facing intense grilling from Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee about his past comments and allegiance to Trump. To Republicans, Patel is a chance to reform an agency whose public image has taken a hit and [...]

'They are doing violent things'

Brooke Rollins, President Donald Trump’s nominee to be Agriculture secretary, testifies to the Senate Agriculture Committee Thursday.

'This is what the bill was advertised as'

TikTok on Sunday said it would restore service in the U.S. after President-elect Donald Trump announced he would "save" the social media platform with an executive order during his first day in office.

Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., President-elect Donald Trump's choice to be secretary of state, testifies during his Senate Foreign Relations Committee confirmation hearing Wednesday.

Trump's attorney general pick, Pam Bondi, to face questioning from the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday.

North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis, here in the Senate subway in the U.S. Capitol in December, faces a competitive reelection next year. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call file photo)

'How can you be against that'

Here is a very early look at the Democratic Party politicians considered to be potential 2028 presidential contenders in the next race for the White House.

Migrants in the U.S. under what's known as Temporary Protection Status are worried that Trump will revoke the program upon taking office.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., is making the case with senators that he should lead Health and Human Services. Kathleen Sebelius, who had the job under Obama, explains the power and limits of the role.

For more than two decades, the U.S. has flown drones over the heads of millions of people — watching, recording, and even killing some of them.The post America Gets a Taste of Its Own Medicine: Drone Terror appeared first on The Intercept.

Without a definitive explanation for purported drone sightings, idle speculation has filled the void

A group of Senate Democrats is pressing President Biden to work to "protect immigrant families" in the final weeks of his presidency.

Sen. Jon Tester said the Big Sandy School Board was the hardest job he ever had, and the Montana Legislature was the most fun.

Kim will finish interim senator Helmy's term. The reshuffle gives him an advantage in seniority over other senators elected in November.

Just how tight was the battle for control of the House? Well, consider that if just three additional races had broken in Democrats’ favor, we would have had to wait for nearly a month on vote counting in California to determine which party had won the majority. And if that had happened, we might still [...]The post At the Races: Full House appeared first on Roll Call.

Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, here at the Capitol in September, is set to succeed Michigan Sen. Debbie Stabenow as the third-ranking Democrat in the Senate.

Congress returns this week from a Thanksgiving recess with a number of priorities to get through before the end of the year.

'The Senate will keep working to confirm more of President Biden's judicial nominees. It's already been a very productive week,' Majority Leader Schumer said.

Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee have sent a letter to FBI Director Christopher Wray asking for “the complete evidentiary file” from the bureau's investigation into allegations of sex trafficking of minors against former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), whom President-elected Trump has tapped to become the next attorney general. The Democratic senators, led by Judiciary [...]

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President-elect Donald Trump’s intended nominee to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, has called for an overhaul of the FDA, including the possible elimination of the agency’s nutrition programs.

It's "very, very, very, very, very unlikely" Trump could unilaterally bypass Senate to install Cabinet picks

Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., leaves a meeting of the House Democratic Caucus on July 9.

Democrats and good government groups are skeptical of how much influence President-elect Donald Trump’s outside advisory commission chaired by billionaire Elon Musk and onetime presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy will have over government spending and the state of the federal workforce, NBC News reports.Since Trump announced his plans for a “Department of Government Efficiency,” or “DOGE” — a play on a cryptocurrency Musk has promoted — both Musk and Ramaswamy have talked up their big plans to slash government regulations and spending while downsizing the federal workforce. Despite its name, it won’t actually be a “department,” like the Department of Education or the Department of Homeland Security. Creating a government agency would require approval from Congress. The effort won’t even be inside the government.Trump said in his statement Tuesday that DOGE “will provide advice and guidance from outside of Government, and will partner with the White House and Office of Management & Budget to drive large scale structural reform,” adding that Musk and Ramaswamy’s work will be completed “no later than July 4, 2026.”“It will be done much faster,” Musk said Wednesday on his X platform.But the commission’s place outside the formal government structure raised plenty of questions about just how likely it is to accomplish its goals.Max Stier, president and CEO of the Partnership for Public Service, a nonprofit group devoted to making government work more effectively, said the real authority rests with the Cabinet secretaries and agency heads Trump is choosing. “From the outside, will Musk and Ramaswamy be able to do a whole lot? It’s very difficult to see how that will be the case,” Stier said in an interview. “There are 450 departments when you look at the major components of our government. The people who run them are the leaders who are being named right now. You can say ‘Do this’ or ‘Do that’ from the outside, but to get it done, you need people who really know how to make things happen and to execute effectively.”Stier said he has yet to see the Trump transition team put forward a plan that would genuinely improve the workings of government.Trump appointments and nomineesHere are some of the people that President-elect Donald Trump has named for high-profile positions in his administration. Positions in orange requires Senate confirmation.var pymParent = new pym.Parent('trump-admin', 'https://media.nbcnewyork.com/assets/editorial/national/2024/trump-admin-noms/index.html', {title: '', parenturlparam: '', parenturlvalue: ''});Source: NBC NewsThe so-called DOGE “is again an example where it does not yet appear to be a serious effort,” Stier said. “It’s understandable why the goal of making our government more effective is a good one, but there are all kinds of reasons why this is not the way to achieve that.”Both Musk and Ramaswamy have already put forth some of their ideas for government reform. Musk has pledged to cut $2 trillion from the federal budget — though he has offered few specifics about what he would look to cut. The total amount of discretionary spending in the federal budget is about $1.7 trillion, and Trump has pledged not to cut Social Security and Medicare, two of the government’s largest expenses. During a late-October town hall on X, Musk suggested his ideal spending cuts could trigger economic pain for people.“We have to reduce spending to live within our means,” he said. “And, you know, that necessarily involves some temporary hardship, but it will ensure long-term prosperity.”Maya MacGuineas, president of the nonpartisan group Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, highlighted federal spending on Social Security and Medicare, saying the new commission “should look beyond just cutting fraud and reducing bureaucracy to also identify places where the taxpayer is not getting the best value for their dollar.”“Importantly, the process will need to be as bipartisan as possible in order to help with the deliverability and implementation of ideas,” she said in a statement, adding, “It will take an all-hands-on-deck approach to fix our fiscal situation, and this effort could make a tremendous contribution.”One area Musk targeted after the panel was announced was spending on medical research. Ramaswamy, meanwhile, said Wednesday on X that the government shouldn’t appropriate money for programs that have expired.“There are 1,200+ programs that are no longer authorized but still receive appropriations,” he wrote. “This is totally nuts. We can & should save hundreds of billions each year by defunding government programs that Congress no longer authorizes. We’ll challenge any politician who disagrees to defend the other side.”Ramswamy’s post prompted some users to note that among those expired programs is veterans’ health care — one of the largest expenses in that bucket.“It’s unclear at this point what the exact role or mandate will be of this advisory committee,” said Joe Spielberger, policy counsel at the Project on Government Oversight, a nonpartisan government watchdog. “But first of all, just putting two knuckleheads in charge of government efficiency sounds pretty counterintuitive as a starting point.”Ramaswamy, the founder of the biotech company Roivant Sciences, had a laser focus on slashing the federal bureaucracy during his time as a GOP presidential primary candidate. Speaking with NBC News as a candidate, he outlined his desire to use what’s known as “reduction in force” regulations to trim the federal workforce while also shuttering a number of federal agencies. news3 hours agoMajor Trump Media shareholder ARC Global unloads nearly all DJT stocknews2 hours agoTrump Defense pick Hegseth investigated in 2017 for alleged sex assault; no charges filednews5 hours ago‘Political malpractice' if Trump undoes climate-geared Biden projects, outgoing U.S. energy secretary saysHe predicted he would overcome any legal challenges because he wasn’t proposing to fire individual career officials, who are covered by civil service protections, but to institute widespread layoffs, eliminating jobs altogether. Ramaswamy also sought to eliminate the FBI; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Education Department; the Nuclear Regulatory Commission; and the Food and Nutrition Service within the Agriculture Department.Speaking recently with conservative media personality Tucker Carlson on X, Ramaswamy predicted Republicans could trigger a mass exodus from the federal workforce by simply mandating a five-day, in-office workweek across the government, estimating that “25%” of civil servants would hit the exits soon after.Democrats acknowledged they had little ability to prevent the Trump administration from enacting the changes Musk and Ramaswamy suggest.“Here’s the truth: The only governing force that can stop or temper that [is] going to be the bravest Republicans in the House or in the Senate,” Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., said. “It’s not going to be us, because we won’t have the votes. We don’t have the votes. We’re in the minority. It’s going to come down to how much craziness, how much absurdity will the Republicans in the House or the Senate want to jam up or not.”Civil servants and their advocates had already been concerned over a cornerstone of Trump’s pledged agenda — reinstituting the “Schedule F” executive order briefly implemented at the end of his first term, which enables his administration to reclassify tens of thousands of federal civil workers with roles in shaping policy into at-will political positions, making them much easier to fire and replace.“In many ways, this sounds like just the latest iteration of the war against the federal civil service and targeting federal workers as ideological opponents or enemies of the people, not based on their ability to do the jobs they’re hired for but because folks [like] Elon and Vivek are ideologically opposed to those agencies or those departments or the specific roles that they are performing,” Spielberger said. “This should be seen as a real attempt not to try to get more government accountability but just to gut agencies and departments and purge the federal workforce where they see fit.” Musk, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, is the world’s richest person, and he launched a super PAC that spent more than $200 million on boosting Trump’s electoral chances this year. He has been by Trump’s side throughout the transition process, with one person familiar with Trump telling NBC News he’s “behaving as if he’s a co-president and making sure everyone knows it.”When Musk took over the social media company Twitter — which he renamed X — he laid off a sizable proportion of its workforce. SpaceX also has $3.6 billion in government contracts, which advocates said presented a clear conflict of interest for his ability to recommend spending and regulatory slashes to the government. “Placing Elon Musk, the ultimate corporate tycoon, in authority over government efficiency is laughable,” Lisa Gilbert, a co-president of the progressive consumer rights advocacy group Public Citizen, said in a statement. “Musk not only knows nothing about government efficiency and regulation, his own businesses have regularly run afoul of the very rules he will be in position to attack in his new ‘czar’ position. This is the ultimate corporate corruption.”Democratic response to the commission has been mixed. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., said on X that the committee “is off to a great start with split leadership: two people to do the work of one person. Yeah, this seems REALLY efficient.” But Rep. Dean Phillips, D-Minn., who briefly ran for president this cycle, responded to the news on X: “I’m a Democrat for Government Efficiency. 🙋🏼‍♂️”Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., said: “I have no idea what they’re going to do, who’s going to work for them, but I suspect that the task may be a little more difficult than they think. Rather than just slashing $2 trillion, they may want to look at exactly what the priority should be right now. And I’m hopeful they’ll be a little more careful and thoughtful than slash and burn might be.”Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., said he was willing to give the Musk- and Ramaswamy-led commission a chance, saying President Bill Clinton similarly tried to highlight and root out government inefficiencies. “I’ve been saying this for a long time. You start with your defense agencies,” Booker said. “There is a procurement problem we still have that has never been addressed that could save our country billions of dollars. There are legacy systems that we invest in that are not what we need for the 21st century. So again, I’m not reflexively going to be condemning the things that Donald Trump does. I’m going to be evaluating them.”He added, however, that Democrats wouldn’t go along with DOGE if it became a way of “undermining our democratic traditions, the agencies that are holding corporations accountable.”Thomas Schatz, president of Citizens Against Government Waste, was upbeat about the DOGE initiative and predicted that it could achieve meaningful efficiencies in government operations. With Trump’s party controlling both the House and the Senate, Congress is positioned to pass the recommendations the committee devises, he said.“In this second term in particular, President Trump has a better understanding of what needs to be done and how to do it,” Schatz said. “He didn’t do this in his first term, and he knows how hard it is to get these things implemented.” The closest parallel to the initiative Trump laid out may be the Grace Commission, which President Ronald Reagan set up in 1982 to root out those inefficiencies. The commission was named after a private-sector businessman, J. Peter Grace.Reagan, through executive actions, saved $100 billion out of the $424 billion the Grace Commission’s recommended savings would have provided over three years, said Schatz, whose group grew out of the Grace Commission.A young White House lawyer wrote in an internal memo in 1985 that it would be a “disaster” to set up an advisory committee of private-sector executives to implement the Grace Commission’s recommendations.In a warning that may prove prophetic given Musk’s business dealings with the federal government, the lawyer wrote, “Serious conflict of interest problems arose from having corporate CEOs scrutinizing the internal workings of agencies charged with regulating their businesses.”The lawyer who wrote that memo? John Roberts, who is now the chief justice of the United States.This story first appeared on NBCNews.com. More from NBC News:The parts of Joe Biden’s legacy that are most — and least — in danger under TrumpSpeaker Mike Johnson says he opposes release of House Ethics report on Matt GaetzFrom ‘brilliant’ to ‘dangerous’: Mixed reactions to RFK Jr’s selection to HHS

Here is a very early, initial look at the Democratic Party politicians considered to be potential 2028 presidential contenders in the next race for the White House.