On Tuesday, protestors gathered outside the U.S. Treasury Department on 15th Street Northwest to protest Elon Musk’s influence over the government agency.
Musk heads the Department of Government Efficiency, an agency founded by executive order on the first day of President Donald Trump’s second term. The order tasks DOGE with “modernizing Federal technology and software to maximize governmental efficiency and productivity.”
On Feb. 1, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent allowed DOGE workers access to the federal payment system, enabling them to monitor and restrict government spending and providing them with millions of Americans’ sensitive information, according to reporting by the New York Times. The move sparked controversy, prompting the demonstrators to assemble in front of the Treasury.
Several members of Congress addressed the crowd, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin, who has recently garnered attention for his criticism of Musk.
Activist Ezra Levin, the final speaker of the night, called for Democratic lawmakers to “withhold unanimous consent.” Unanimous consent is a Senate tradition where senators collectively agree when to end debate and hold votes.
Withholding unanimous consent would make calling votes extremely difficult, effectively paralyzing the Senate. At several points, protestors chanted, “Shut down the Senate.”
