House Oversight Republicans shut down Democrat efforts to subpoena Elon Musk over DOGE actions

Democratic Virginia Rep. Gerry Connolly questioned how Musk could attempt to "dismantle" the federal government when he was never elected or confirmed by the Senate.

By Misty Severi

House Republicans on the Oversight and Government Reform Committee on Wednesday ended the panel's Democrats' efforts to subpoena Elon Musk over his Department of Government Efficiency's (DOGE) latest moves regarding federal agencies and their workforce.

Musk is considered the brains behind a recent buyout offer the White House Office of Personnel Management (OPM) sent to federal employees last week, and sent some of his department's employees to several different agencies to tap into the Treasury Department and OPM, according to The Hill.

DOGE staff also reviewed information from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) where some employees have been told not to return while the future of the agency is being determined.

Democratic Virginia Rep. Gerry Connolly suggested subpoenaing Musk on Wednesday, questioning how he could attempt to "dismantle" federal agencies when he was never elected or confirmed by the Senate.

“Who is this unelected billionaire that [thinks] he can attempt to dismantle federal agencies, fire people, transfer them, offer them early retirement and have sweeping changes to agencies without any congressional review, oversight or concurrence?" Connolly asked. "Therefore, Mr. Chairman, given his prominence and his importance, I move that the committee subpoena Elon Musk to come report as a witness at the earliest possible moment."

House Oversight Chairman James Comer slammed the request, claiming that Democrats already had a chance to invite Musk to testify as one of their witnesses.

“You all could have invited Mr. Musk to be your minority witness, but you all chose to have a college professor, which is what you normally choose to have as a witness at any hearing and that’s fine, but you all had an opportunity to invite Elon Musk,” Comer insisted.

Comer also claimed earlier in the session that Musk was chosen by voters because he was a vocal part of President Donald Trump's reelection in November.

“It’s what the American people voted for in November: a departure from the broken status quo,” he said.

The House’s DOGE subcommittee has scheduled its first hearing for next Wednesday, Politico reported.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.