A video circulating online captures an awkward moment where Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Rep. Maxine Waters attempt to lead a crowd in an anti-Elon Musk chant—only to be met with lukewarm participation. The rally took place in Washington, D.C., following the Trump administration’s decision to close the USAID offices and pause all foreign aid distributed through the agency.
For the first time in history, USAID was placed under the authority of the State Department, a move that sparked protests from some lawmakers and activists. Adding fuel to the protest was a report suggesting that Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) team had obtained access to information regarding Treasury Department payment systems. According to C-SPAN, the rally was, in part, a response to these reports, which raised concerns among officials about transparency and oversight. A Fox News report indicated that Musk and DOGE had gained access to the Bureau of the Fiscal Service, a Treasury agency responsible for disbursing trillions in federal payments, including Social Security checks and government salaries.
During the rally, Schumer voiced strong opposition to Musk’s involvement, arguing that such access posed a risk to public funds and financial privacy. “We cannot allow Elon Musk and a small group of people to secretly, behind closed doors, take away our privacy, take away our dollars, take away everything we have,” Schumer declared. Despite their efforts to incite vocal opposition, the rally appeared to fall flat, with a clip posted to Musk’s social media platform, X, showing a lack of enthusiasm from attendees. As questions continue to swirl around Musk’s government ties, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are calling for greater scrutiny of DOGE and its influence over financial systems, ensuring that the debate over Musk’s government involvement remains a contentious topic in Washington and beyond.
