With Congress barreling toward a shutdown thanks in large part to Elon Musk’s opposition to the original short-term funding bill, Groundwork Collaborative Executive Director Lindsay Owens published a new op-ed in Rolling Stone today on how Musk wants to fund his own tax cuts by gutting Social Security, Medicare, and other critical programs:
“GOP lawmakers immediately lined up against the original short-term government funding bill released this week after Musk voiced his opposition. On top of that, a group of extremist Republicans, led by Sen. Rick Scott and Rep. Andy Harris, are fighting to ensure that the fresh round of tax cuts Republicans have planned for Musk when Trump’s 2017 tax law expires are paid for with $2.5 trillion in spending cuts on programs Americans rely on chosen by — you guessed it — Musk.
“Republicans have made their plan for the new year crystal clear: ram through massive tax giveaways for the ultra-wealthy and corporations, and pay for them by shaking down programs and agencies that working families rely on. And they’re putting unelected and unaccountable oligarchs — Musk and Ramaswamy — in charge of deciding how much pain Americans will have to tolerate so that the rich can get richer.”
Email press@groundworkcollaborative.org to speak with Lindsay Owens about DOGE and the 2025 tax fight.
EXCERPTS
“This isn’t even the first time Trump himself has tried this scheme. During his first term, he tapped billionaire Carl Icahn to tackle government inefficiencies. Icahn lasted seven months before resigning for allegedly rewriting regulations to benefit his Texas-owned oil refinery. And now, Musk and Ramaswamy are being given free reign to decide what programs they can cut to fund their own tax cuts, all while Musk himself benefits from billions in government subsidies.”
“It doesn’t take much more than simple math to realize that DOGE’s empty promise to curb government inefficiencies by cutting $2 trillion from the federal budget is nearly impossible without going after Medicare and Social Security given the way our federal budget is actually allocated.
In fact, while Trump studiously avoided supporting unpopular policies like cutting Social Security during his 2024 campaign, Musk, Ramaswamy, and DOGE’s unofficial think tank, the ultra-conservative Cato Institute, are already planning to “shrink Social Security,” slash benefits, cut the Social Security cost-of-living adjustments that ensure seniors’ benefits keep pace with inflation, raise the retirement age, and more, according to the plans laid out in Cato’s DOGE manifesto.”
“If DOGE truly existed to improve government efficiency and cut wasteful spending, they would of course start by recommending that Trump hold off on another round of costly tax cuts for the wealthy. They would also advocate for a better-funded IRS to continue its efforts to collect billions of dollars from tax cheats and expand the hugely popular Direct File program to help more people file for free. In fact, they could even meet the public where they are and recommend raising taxes on the ultra-wealthy to pay for priorities like education, health care, and Social Security — some of the federal government’s biggest ticket items.”
“Here’s the good news: Like the commissions of Christmas past, Musk and Ramaswamy are setting themselves up for failure. Americans can see this scam for what it is. Polling shows the commission is already underwater among Americans. They know that once Musk and Ramaswamy’s checks clear, they’re going to turn around and try to tell Americans that we can no longer afford to cover their Medicare. Americans know that we could have the best schools, hospitals, and roads in the world if conservatives weren’t constantly doling out tax giveaways to the ultra-rich and starving our communities of resources, which is why four in five Americans support raising taxes on the rich.”