California Senators Sound Alarm: Trump's Spending Freeze & Musk's Federal Takeover Threaten Democracy

 

By Santa Clarita Star Staff

02/03/2024 at 10:30 PM

California Senators Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff oppose Trump’s freeze on federal funds, calling it unconstitutional and harmful to essential services. Padilla urges blocking OMB nominee Russell Vought, while reports reveal Elon Musk and his allies' expanding control over federal agencies. The fight over spending authority could have nationwide consequences.

 

 

Santa Clarita – In the early days of Donald Trump’s second term, California’s two U.S. Senators, Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff, have voiced strong opposition to the administration’s decision to freeze congressionally approved federal grants and loans, a move they argue threatens vital services for millions of Californians.

 

Padilla, a member of the Senate Budget Committee, has been particularly vocal in his condemnation of the administration’s actions. On Jan. 28, he released a statement criticizing Trump for what he described as the “illegal” blocking of “hundreds of billions of dollars” meant to support disaster relief, law enforcement, child care, and nutrition programs.

 

“This overreach is unconstitutional and hurts the thousands of Californians who have been devastated by the recent fires,” Padilla said. “When Congress approves federal funds for programs to help communities, they are not optional: they are legal mandates.”

 

The funding freeze, which took effect Jan. 30, has widespread implications, halting disaster relief assistance for communities recovering from wildfires, pausing grants for firefighting equipment, and delaying funding for infrastructure projects and public safety initiatives. The directive also suspends support for child nutrition programs, higher education financial aid, and biomedical research.

Padilla has urged Senate Republicans to reject Trump’s nominee for director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Russell Vought, until the funding freeze is reversed. Vought, who previously served in the Trump administration, has been linked to Project 2025, an effort to expand executive power over federal spending. During his Senate confirmation hearing, he refused to commit to following congressional funding mandates, drawing further criticism from Democrats.

 

On Jan. 30, Padilla took to the Senate floor to denounce the administration’s actions, characterizing them as an attempt at a “one-man government shutdown.”

 

“It is unconscionable that in a time of crisis, there’s an effort to promote funding freezes, hiring freezes, and in so many ways go back on our fundamental obligations to our constituents and to the American people,” Padilla said.

He accused Senate Republicans of moving forward with Vought’s confirmation in a “back room, not accessible, not visible,” without public scrutiny.

 

“What are they trying to hide? What are they afraid of?” Padilla asked. “The stakes are too high. The impacts are too real.”

 

Padilla further warned that Vought’s appointment would solidify an effort to circumvent congressional authority over federal spending.

 

“Through his conduct, he has demonstrated that he holds himself above the law, above the Constitution, and above the funding decisions made by Congress. Maybe that’s why President Trump likes him so much,” he said.

 

Padilla called on Senate Republicans to block Vought’s confirmation and stand against the funding freeze.

 

“To my Republican colleagues: there is still time, you have the power to stop this if you have the courage to do so. Don’t give up that power to President Trump. Use that power for your constituents and for our country.”

 

Sen. Adam Schiff, who was sworn into office earlier this month, has also criticized the administration’s funding freeze. In a statement released Jan. 28, Schiff called Trump’s directive “sweeping and unlawful,” warning that it would have “immediate and deeply destructive consequences.”

 

“Law enforcement relying on federal dollars to support their equipment and critical training don’t know if those dollars will continue to flow,” Schiff said. “Seniors counting on federal assistance to help pay their rent and fill their medications are left without an answer. Families who lost their homes in the recent Los Angeles fires wondering if FEMA and other disaster assistance will abruptly stop.”

Schiff also framed the funding freeze as part of a broader power grab by Trump, arguing that it fits into a pattern of undermining democratic institutions.

 

“Trump’s impoundment of these funds is part of a broader effort to seize control of every aspect of government and remake it in his flawed image,” Schiff said. “Along with the unlawful firing of government watchdogs, his firing of career prosecutors, and his pardoning of violent felons, he seeks to transform America into a one-party, one-man state.”

 

Schiff called on Senate Republicans to push back against Trump’s actions, warning that failure to do so would cede Congress’ authority over federal spending.

 

“Senate Republicans must join in condemning this reckless move by the president, or risk losing Congress’ most effective check on a runaway executive — the power of the purse — for good,” he said.

 

Meanwhile, reporting from Reuters and CNN has revealed further turmoil within the federal government, particularly within the Office of Personnel Management (OPM). According to Reuters, aides to billionaire Elon Musk, whom Trump has tasked with shrinking the federal workforce, have locked career civil servants out of critical data systems containing the personal information of millions of federal employees.

 

The report states that Musk’s team at OPM includes former SpaceX and Tesla employees, and that the agency’s acting head, Charles Ezell, has sent memos encouraging civil servants to take buyouts to leave their positions. Some of Musk’s aides have reportedly moved sofa beds into their offices to work around the clock. The Reuters report also indicates that some senior officials at OPM have been relocated, and that federal payment systems at the Treasury Department have also been affected by Musk’s growing influence in government.

 

CNN has further reported that Musk’s influence extends beyond OPM, with Trump-affiliated officials at the Treasury Department pushing to block federal payments. Treasury’s top civil servant, David Lebryk, unexpectedly resigned after Musk’s allies requested control over Treasury’s ability to halt government payments. 

 

Musk Targets USAID and Department of Education

Elon Musk’s latest move is to dismantle the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), halting funding for education, poverty relief, and humanitarian aid worldwide. Congressional Democrats, blocked from entering the agency’s headquarters on the morning of February 3, denounced the move as illegal and vowed legal action, warning that Musk’s growing influence over federal operations represents an unprecedented power grab. As Trump defends the shutdown as a necessary cost-cutting measure, the abrupt layoffs of thousands of USAID employees and the suspension of global aid programs have sparked outrage, threatening to upend decades of U.S. foreign policy and humanitarian leadership. Musk indicated on X that the Department of Education may be next.

 

“Reagan campaigned on ending the federal Dept of Education, which was created by Carter in 1979, but it was bigger when Reagan left office than when he started!” Musk posted on X. “Not this time. President Donald Trump will succeed.”

 

The Department of Education provides critical funding for special education programs in school districts in Santa Clarita Valley and across the nation. While money from the Department of Education makes up a small amount of school funding, eliminating the department would cause school districts to be forced to consider cutting programs that families rely on.

 

The New York Times has also detailed how multiple Musk associates now hold key government positions, including in OPM, the General Services Administration, and other agencies. These officials have pushed for mass federal worker resignations, real estate reductions, and potential workforce cuts under the guise of “efficiency.”

 

With the Trump administration moving forward with its directive and Vought’s nomination advancing, Senate Democrats, led by Padilla and Schiff, are preparing for a fight over congressional spending authority. The outcome of the battle could have far-reaching consequences, not just for California, but for federal governance nationwide.