Ordinarily, when the public hears from a party’s congressional leaders, we hear from either House members or Senate members. Once in a great while, however, when a party wants to make clear that it’s addressing an issue of great national importance, leaders take a bicameral approach.
With this in mind, The Washington Post reported:
Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-New York) and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-New York) introduced legislation Tuesday to address Elon Musk’s efforts to access delicate government systems through his and President Donald Trump’s ‘Department of Government Efficiency.’ The measure, Schumer said, would ‘prevent unlawful meddling in the Treasury Department’s payment systems and protect Americans across the country.’
The push from the New York Democrats comes on the heels of striking developments at the Department of the Treasury in recent days, as people affiliated with Elon Musk’s “Department of Government Efficiency” sought — and ultimately received — access to a highly sensitive federal payment system.
It was, by some measures, the most dramatic data breach in the history of the world.
It also caught the attention of Democratic leaders on Capitol Hill.
“Today, Leader Jeffries and I are joining together to push legislation to prevent unlawful meddling in the Treasury Department’s payment systems and protect Americans across the country,” Schumer said at a joint press conference. The New York senator added, “We call our legislation, ‘Stop the steal.’”
The House minority leader, referencing Musk and his surrogates, went on to say, “It’s unfortunate that many of our Republican colleagues are determined to stand up a shadow government of the billionaires, by the billionaires, and for the billionaires that will stick it to the American people.”
To be sure, the Democrats’ “stop the steal” bill will almost certainly fail, given the Republican majorities in both chambers and GOP officials’ apparent indifference to Musk and his cohorts’ efforts.
But Schumer and Jeffries appeared eager, at a minimum, to shine a light on an outrageous and legally dubious abuse. Time will tell how many of their Democratic members sign onto their legislation, but it’s a safe bet that the numbers will be significant.
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