🚨Part 3: The Billionaire Coup: Elon Musk, DOGE, and the Hostile Takeover of the American Government
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In just 100 days, Donald Trump and Elon Musk have turned the U.S. government into a playground for oligarchs. Disguised as "reform," the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)—a shadow agency created by executive order—is actively dismantling democratic safeguards, helping to lay the groundwork for shifting public funds to the ultra-rich and replacing career civil servants with loyalists. This isn't efficiency. It's a billionaire coup.
DOGE: A Trojan Horse for Autocracy
DOGE was framed as a tool to cut government waste. In reality, it's slashing the muscle, not the fat. Agencies like the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and USAID have been shuttered or gutted. DOGE now controls federal hiring, contracting, and data systems—with zero independent oversight.
"DOGE is not about making government work better. It's about making it work for billionaires," said Danielle Brian, Executive Director of the Project on Government Oversight. (POGO)
Elon Musk's Conflicts of Interest Aren't a Glitch—They're the Plan
Musk's companies—Tesla, SpaceX, Neuralink—hold billions in federal contracts and face at least 32 ongoing investigations for labor violations, safety hazards, and regulatory fraud.
Senator Richard Blumenthal warns:
"Elon Musk is dismantling the very systems meant to hold him accountable… He stands to avoid billions in penalties and fines due to this government power grab." (Blumenthal Press Release)
DOGE has already delivered for Musk:
The NLRB Buffalo office—which filed charges against Tesla—was shut down.
Investigators at the NHTSA probing autonomous vehicle safety were laid off.
The CFPB was defunded just as Musk launched a mobile payments system that would've been subject to its oversight.
Former CFPB Director Richard Cordray called it out plainly:
"The fact that Musk is engaged in payment businesses that would be regulated by the CFPB at the same time he's trying to tear it down puts in sharp relief the conflicts of interest here." (NYT)
Public Services Are Collapsing
While Musk and his allies profit, the rest of the country suffers:
Social Security offices are closed, phone lines disconnected, and staff laid off. (Ap News)
Veterans' services are in crisis, with Trump invoking "national security" to strip collective bargaining rights from over 400,000 VA employees. (The American Prospect)
Cancer research, clean energy, and education grants have been canceled.
Whistleblower protections and inspectors general—essential for government accountability—have been eliminated.
The Economic Policy Institute tracked over 100 actions in Trump's first 100 days that hurt workers and unions and remarked: "He's dismantling protections, degrading working conditions, and handing power to billionaire executives." (EPI)
National Security and Privacy Are at Risk
DOGE has access to sensitive IRS, Social Security, and even intelligence data—controlled by appointees loyal to Musk and Trump. Internal whistleblowers warn that untrained DOGE personnel are pulling data without security protocols.
"I am not confident DOGE associates have the requisite knowledge or training to prevent misuse," a Social Security official testified before Congress. (Revolving Door Project)
With the Office of Government Ethics and the Office of Special Counsel gutted, there's no firewall left between the private greed of billionaires and the machinery of government.
This Is Authoritarianism in Real Time
What's happening isn't hypothetical. It's the authoritarian playbook used in North Korea, Hungary, Russia, and Venezuela:
Eliminate independent agencies
Replace experts with loyalists
Redirect public wealth to private allies
Silence dissent through data, force, or legal threats
DOGE is not a reform. It is a hostile takeover of our resources.
What's at Stake
🚨 Wages are down and a recession is up
🧓 Seniors are losing Social Security access.
🧑🏫 Teachers are losing grants.
👩🔬 Scientists are being fired.
⚖️ Whistleblowers are left unprotected.
💻 Private companies are accessing your tax and health records.
This is not how democracy functions. This is how it falls.
✊ Oh Hell NO!
This is not the end of our story—it is the moment that demands we rise.
If you've been waiting for someone else to stop Trump—stop waiting. This fight is not just about one man. It’s about whether we the people still hold power—or whether we surrender it to those who bought their way in.
You are the firewall.
We are the resistance.
And we are not powerless.
Join us at People Power United—because democracy doesn’t defend itself. It depends on us—on everyday people who refuse to surrender to apathy or fear.
We've stopped fascism before. We will do it again.
Today’s Calls-to-Action
Click here to Add Your Name: Deliver on the People's Promise
Click here to Stop Republicans’ Tax Cuts for the Rich
Click here to Tell the House to pass the bipartisan Protect America’s Workforce Act and defend federal workers’ rights
Click here to Tell Trump: Don’t Give Refugees a Death Sentence
Click here to share 🛑 Part 1: Tyranny Takes the Wheel — Trump's Authoritarian Power Grab in 100 Days
Click here to share 💸 Part 2: They Profit, We Pay — How Trump’s Economic Sabotage Threatens Every Home
🛡️ Attend “Rapid Response for Our Freedoms” – Sunday, May 4
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People Power United Updates
Our group is growing by leaps and bounds! Folks understand that with love in our hearts ❤️ and hard work, we will reclaim our nation from cruelty, chaos, and confusion. In case you missed it, this past week was busy:
People Power United joined coalition efforts to protect the longfin smelt
People Power United joined coalition efforts to oppose the REINS Act in Reconciliation
People Power United joined coalition efforts to stop Trump's assault on our judiciary & the rule of law
People Power United joined coalition efforts to urge Members of Congress to help workers and families
We sent out several updates and news briefs.
We are not just resisting—we are reclaiming, rebuilding, and rising. Let’s do it together.
With fierce resolve and people power,
Laurie Woodward Garcia
People Power United
Together, we can inspire progress and create a community where everyone can thrive!
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I think we need a coupe ourself, and start taking out the b and I was taking a mall out of one time