DOGE in the DOGE HOUSE: April 23, 2025
The latest from the Hill, the White House, and all things dominating the headlines.
Well, this was bound to happen sooner or later. Rightwing billionaire Elon Musk was never popular, and he certainly did not help his case by trying to role-play president for the first few months of the Trump administration. Musk’s unpopularity has been increasing steadily in the last few weeks. In survey after survey, respondents said that while they agreed with removing fraud and waste from the government, they were not big fans of Musk and his so-called Department of Government Efficiency. In a recent survey, almost 60 percent of respondents disapproved of DOGE and 57 percent of voters—including 16 percent of Republicans— said that Musk had too much power in decision making that affects the country. But what dealt the final blow to Musk’s career in government was a very poor Q1 performance by Tesla (where Musk is CEO, in case you had forgotten).
Tesla’s net income dropped 71% in the first quarter, as the company faced mounting competitive pressure abroad and reputational challenges tied to Musk’s controversial involvement in the Trump administration. The electric vehicle manufacturer also posted adjusted earnings per share of 27 cents, falling short of analysts’ forecast of 41 cents.
Musk announced he would be “devoting significantly less time to his federal cost-cutting work at the Department of Government Efficiency starting next month,” but remained unapologetic. “I believe the right thing to do is to fight the waste and fraud and try to get the country back on the right track,” Musk said on a call with analysts following Tuesday’s quarterly earnings report.
Tesla noted that evolving trade policies, worsened by the administration’s tariff measures, are straining supply chains and driving up costs. While the company currently imports some battery cells from China, it said it is working to shift sourcing to the U.S. instead.
🏛️ THE HILL REPORT
Major legislative moves: Democrats have crafted a strategy for addressing the most prominent deportation case of Trump’s second term—by steering clear of immigration policy debates altogether. Party leaders are centering their case around due process and the rule of law in urging the administration to bring back Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Maryland man wrongly deported to El Salvador. The approach allows Democrats to criticize Trump without wading into the politically fraught immigration debate that Republicans have effectively turned into a partisan weapon.
“The most important part of this story is the lack of due process,” said Rep. Yassamin Ansari, one of four House Democrats who traveled to El Salvador on Monday to advocate for Abrego Garcia’s release.
Their efforts come as Democrats launch another key offensive—attacking Trump’s economic record. On Monday, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer reaffirmed Democrats’ plan to force a vote next week to end the national emergency Trump is using to advance his broader tariff agenda. The announcement followed a market drop triggered by the president’s renewed criticism of Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell.
Power dynamics: Rep. Byron Donalds became the latest House Republican to confront a charged crowd during a rare in-person town hall Monday night in Estero, Florida, amid a congressional recess where GOP leadership has advised members to avoid such events. According to Politico's Kimberly Leonard, Donalds faced a mix of boos and applause during the two-hour session, one of the few held after NRCC Chair Richard Hudson privately urged Republicans to forgo live town halls due to voter frustration over Elon Musk’s cost-cutting efforts at DOGE and Trump’s tariff policies.
Speaking over interruptions, he defended Musk’s role by noting, “past presidents like Joe Biden had special advisers like Musk,” claimed Trump’s tariffs would benefit the U.S. long-term, and emphasized that Republicans aim to eliminate “waste, fraud and abuse” from Social Security—not reduce benefits.
A particularly heated moment came during an exchange over diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). Donalds rejected the premise that children of color need DEI to succeed, calling it “a lie,” and specifically criticized the concept of equity: “There’s no level playing field in life. It’s called life,” he said.
What’s next: The House and Senate is on recess till the end of April.
If you want to say ‘thanks’ - you can buy me a cup of coffee.
🏰 WHITE HOUSE WATCH
Did I say that? President Donald Trump told reporters Tuesday he had “no intention” of firing Federal Reserve Chair Jerome H. Powell, despite intensifying his criticism of Powell in recent days. Speaking during an Oval Office event marking the public swearing-in of SEC Chair Paul Atkins, Trump also said he anticipated that U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods would eventually be reduced “substantially,” though not eliminated entirely. There really is no way to know when the president would stand by what he said and when he would pretend that our ears and eyes were lying to us the entire time.
Tax the rich: Trump’s inner circle is considering whether the White House should support raising taxes on Americans earning over $1 million annually as part of the GOP’s 2025 tax package.
Though the idea has met resistance from many Republicans on Capitol Hill, Vice President JD Vance and budget director Russell Vought have shown openness to the proposal during internal deliberations and are seen as supportive. Steve Bannon, Trump’s former chief strategist, has been publicly pushing for the move, framing it as a way to undercut Democratic claims that the GOP caters to the wealthy.
State your purpose: Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday introduced a sweeping plan to overhaul the State Department, claiming the restructuring would roll back “decades of bloat and bureaucracy” and eliminate what he described as a deeply rooted “radical political ideology.” The proposed revamp of the nation’s lead foreign policy agency aligns with the Trump administration’s broader push to reshape U.S. global engagement under its “America First” doctrine while pursuing cost-cutting measures and reducing the federal workforce.
The plan aims to scale back certain human rights initiatives as well as programs focused on war crimes and democracy, according to internal documents reviewed by The Washington Post. As part of the effort, senior officials would be required to present department leadership with a strategy to cut U.S.-based staff by 15 percent—potentially impacting hundreds of positions—though no immediate layoffs are expected.
Voice of America, unsilenced: A federal judge in Washington ruled Tuesday that staff at the government-funded Voice of America news service may return to work. U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth issued a preliminary injunction blocking part of President Trump’s executive order aimed at dismantling the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), which oversees Voice of America. The order had led to more than 1,200 federal employees and contractors — including roughly 1,000 journalists — being placed on administrative leave.
Immigration watch: A federal judge in Maryland sharply criticized the Trump administration on Tuesday for failing to follow her instructions in a case involving a Maryland man wrongly deported to El Salvador.
In an eight-page order, Judge Paula Xinis expressed clear frustration with the Justice Department’s continued refusal to cooperate, accusing the agency of “a willful and bad faith refusal to comply with discovery obligations.” She also rejected as “specious” the department’s argument that disclosing how Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia ended up in a Salvadoran prison would reveal privileged state secrets.
🗣️ WHAT THEY’RE SAYING
A roundup of notable quotes from lawmakers, White House officials, and influencers.
“Any further inquiry is not only unwarranted, but would also waste the Commission’s valuable resources and intrude on NPR’s own First Amendment rights,” NPR attorneys Michael Bopp and Matthew McGill wrote.
The bipartisan Federal Election Commission unanimously dismissed a complaint from conservative activists claiming that NPR is controlled by the Democratic Party and had “clearly and unmistakably” endorsed 2024 presidential nominee Kamala Harris. In a 4-0 decision released Monday evening, the FEC reaffirmed its longstanding position that NPR qualifies as a legitimate news organization and is therefore exempt from election laws that apply to political committees and candidates.
“This unconstitutional scheme to create the nation’s first state-sponsored religious charter school will open the floodgates and force taxpayers to fund all manner of religious indoctrination, including radical Islam or even the Church of Satan,” Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond said of St. Isidoref Seville Catholic Virtual School.
An upcoming Supreme Court case has split prominent Republicans into three camps: those seeking to uphold the separation of church and state, those aiming to dismantle it, and those preferring to stay neutral. The case, Oklahoma Statewide Charter School Board v. Drummond, is set for a hearing on April 30. Its outcome could pave the way for the nation's first publicly funded religious charter school by permitting the St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School to enter into a contract with the state of Oklahoma. The Oklahoma Supreme Court previously ruled the school unconstitutional, citing violations of both the Establishment Clause and state law requiring charter schools to remain “nonsectarian.”
Drummond, who is also campaigning for governor, is among the opponents of the school. In 2023, he filed a lawsuit against the charter school board over its agreement with the institution.
🌎 Beyond the District
Canada election watch: A record 7.3 million Canadians voted during the four-day advanced voting period for the upcoming April 28 election, according to official figures released Tuesday. Elections Canada reported that the estimated turnout from Friday through Monday represents a 25% increase compared to the 5.8 million early ballots cast in the 2021 election.
Brazil’s coup attempt: A panel of Brazil’s supreme court justices has unanimously accepted criminal charges against six additional key allies of former president Jair Bolsonaro in connection with an alleged coup attempt to keep him in power after his 2022 election loss. This follows the court’s decision last month to bring charges against Bolsonaro and seven of his close associates over the same plot, ordering the former right-wing leader to stand trial after his defeat by current president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Prosecutor General Paulo Gonet, who accused Bolsonaro and 33 others of attempting a coup, categorized the defendants into five groups based on their roles and involvement in the alleged scheme.
Venezuela accuses El Salvador: Venezuela’s chief prosecutor has labeled El Salvador’s president a “tyrannical” human trafficker following Nayib Bukele’s proposal to exchange 252 Venezuelan migrants—recently deported to El Salvador’s prisons by Donald Trump—for an equal number of political prisoners held in Venezuela. In a message directed at Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro on Sunday night, Bukele said, “I want to propose a humanitarian agreement that includes the repatriation of 100% of the 252 Venezuelans who were deported, in exchange for the release and delivery of an identical number … of the thousands of political prisoners that you hold.”
Kashmir shooting: Militants opened fire on a group of tourists in the Indian-administered region of Kashmir on Tuesday, killing at least two dozen and injuring many more, according to government officials and local media. The attack occurred in a scenic Himalayan district often referred to by locals as a “mini Switzerland” for its pine-covered hills and valleys, popular among Indian travelers. Omar Abdullah, the chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, called it the worst assault on civilians in the region in years. Prime Minister Narendra Modi condemned the incident as a “terror attack,” vowing that “those behind this heinous act will be brought to justice,” and announced plans to cut short his visit to Saudi Arabia. President Trump also responded, stating that “the United States stands strong with India against Terrorism.”
📅 TODAY’S SCHEDULE
A quick rundown of key events that are happening or have happened today.
🕘 Congress: The House and Senate are out.
🏛️ White House: The president’s schedule TBD.
Vice President JD Vance and Second Lady Usha Vance are scheduled to visit Agra, India, as part of their diplomatic and cultural tour. Their itinerary includes exploring the iconic Taj Mahal and visiting Shilpgram, a handicrafts village known for showcasing traditional Indian arts and crafts. Following their visit to Agra, the Vance family is expected to return to Jaipur later in the day. T
📍 Other events: Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi is scheduled to visit China to discuss bilateral relations and regional issues. This visit precedes the third round of nuclear talks between Tehran and Washington, set to take place in Oman on Saturday.
👀 ONE BIG THING TO WATCH
There were several special elections last night. One notable race: Connecticut State House District 113, with Amy Romano (R) and Michael Duncan (D) as the nominees. Democrats hold a large majority (102 seats to the GOP’s 48). The vacancy came after Republican Jason Perillo resigned after winning a State Senate special election two months ago.
Perillo held the seat for 17 years and ran unopposed in his last House election in 2022. In 2020, he beat his Democratic challenger 64 percent to 36 percent.
On Tuesday evening, with over 95% of the votes counted, Romano beat Duncan a mere 52.6 percent to Duncan’s 47.5 percent. That is almost an eleven point swing to the left—another sign that the political environment is increasingly favorable to Democrats. The shift is smaller when you compare the margin with Trump’s margin of victory in the district in 2024.
That’s all from me today— thank you for making me part of your morning. I will see you on Thursday. Have a great day!
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