Senate Democrats, led by Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-New York) and Sen. Gary Peters (D-Michigan), have set up a whistleblower complaint portal for federal workers to submit any reports of what they see as unlawful activities in their respective agencies in response to Elon Musk and his group’s efforts to downsize the federal government.
President Donald Trump and Musk, the world’s richest man, have taken a sledgehammer to 15 government agencies, including the U.S. Agency for International Development, the Treasury Department and the Office of Personnel Management. Allies of Musk and representatives of the new office he runs called the U.S. DOGE Service - short for the Department of Government Efficiency - have fanned out across Washington, burrowing into computer systems and disrupting operations in an effort to cut costs and shrink the government.
While Democrats - who are in the minority in both chambers of Congress - have limited power to oppose Trump and Musk, they have started to raise the alarm over the potential unconstitutionality of their actions. The White House’s moves have also troubled some constitutional scholars and budget experts, who say the steps could upset the nation’s delicate system of checks and balances.
The White House has designated Musk as a “special government employee” and said he has “abided by all applicable federal laws.”
But in several cases, DOGE representatives have gained access to highly restricted government records on millions of federal employees. And on Friday, Trump named Russell Vought, his newly confirmed budget chief, as head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau hours after Musk signaled that he could dismantle the office. A longtime Trump ally, Vought helped write Project 2025, a conservative policy blueprint in which another contributor called for the elimination of the bureau.
Under the banner of the U.S. DOGE Service, Musk’s aides early Friday established themselves at the Consumer Protection Bureau’s Washington headquarters. Setting up in a conference room, they began their review of the agency, accessing and parsing its sensitive personnel and financial records, according to emails viewed by The Washington Post and four other people with knowledge of their inquiry.
In the latest efforts, Democrats are urging federal workers to resist their advances. The new whistleblower portal is their latest effort to oppose Trump’s actions as they look to form a cohesive message against the administration.
In a letter sent to public servants and obtained by The Post, Schumer and Peters said that they are ready to support any whistleblower seeking to share information about “wrongdoing, abuse of power, and threats to public safety.” Peters serves as the top Democrat in the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, which has jurisdiction over whistleblowers and is the Senate’s primary oversight committee.
Democrats emphasized the role of the Whistleblower Protection Act in prohibiting retaliation against federal employees who disclose evidence of possible wrongdoing. They also vowed to investigate the Trump administration’s actions through oversight requests, hearings and inquiries.
“As Senate Republicans refuse to fulfill their constitutional duty to provide a check on the Executive Branch, Senate Democrats remain steadfast in our commitment to uncovering the truth,” Democrats wrote. “We are prepared to issue demand letters, preserve public records, conduct public hearings, and pursue legal action where necessary.”
The online form is similar to one available on Sen. Chuck Grassley’s (R-Iowa) website, in which Grassley calls for whistleblowers to submit information “regarding wrongdoing within federal agencies or misuse of public dollars.”
Republicans in the House and Senate, however, have largely remained supportive of Trump and have not criticized Musk’s actions. Republicans, however, have attacked civil servants in agencies such as USAID and the OPM, blaming them without evidence of misusing taxpayer dollars.
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Liz Goodwin and Tony Romm contributed to this report.