Booker outlines multipart plan to push back on Trump, Musk

Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) on Sunday outlined Democrats’ strategy to push back on President Trump’s and tech billionaire Elon Musk’s efforts to reshape much of the federal government through the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and other means of executive authority.

In an interview on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Booker said Democrats are fighting back through the courts, in Congress and through public and media engagement with constituents.

"I think the plan right now is working in four parts. One is a legal strategy to stop him from violating the separation of powers, from violating our civil service law, civil rights laws. And we're winning," Booker said when asked why Democrats weren't more prepared to challenge some of Trump's bold moves since many of them were described in the Project 2025 framework.

Booker said there are 41 cases Democrats took to court and, just last week, 12 of them “were successful in stopping some of his illegal actions.”

He said the next step is "a legislative and oversight effort to really try to expose" some of Trump's actions.

“Not to treat this as Democrat versus Republican, right or left, but really right or wrong,” Booker said, “and continue to try to use our positions procedurally, as well as legislatively, to stop what he's doing.”

He said another key step in Democrats’ plan is to communicate to the public various actions the Trump administration has taken and what Democrats are doing to fight back.

“And then finally, perhaps most importantly, because all of us have to have a role, from the media to everyday citizens, which is shining a light on the dark corners of what they're doing and how it is actually endangering Americans' lives, is threatening to raise the costs of people's everyday goods and inflation and more,” Booker said.

He noted the public pressure has been effective before, pointing to the failure to repeal the Affordable Care Act during Trump's first term and “even when he did one of those awful illegal acts of trying to stop government funding of our first responders or veterans or meal programs.”

“The outrage of Americans actually stopped them from what they were doing, and then our legal strategy further put a bar on their ability to stop sourcing and funding vital resources for communities,” he said.

Democrats have fumed about their party leadership’s early response to Trump’s first few weeks in office, with many saying it has been inconsistent and not aggressive enough to combat Trump, who has taken a series of actions to remake the government.

Topics

Jim Jordan backs Elon Musk’s authority to cut federal government

“It's something that people evaluated and voted for on November 5,” the Ohio Republican said.
Politico - 20h
A Trump Peace Plan for Ukraine?

Reports suggest a proposed US peace plan could be unveiled this week.
BBC News - 1d
Elon Musk’s journey from climate champion to backing EV-bashing Trump

Musk believes Tesla’s rivals are more vulnerable to Trump’s moves against electric vehicles. Donald Trump ’s attempts to slash incentives for electric cars would cause sales of the vehicles to ...
The Guardian - 3d
Vance proves pivotal in pushing through controversial Trump nominees

Vice President Vance has quickly become President Trump's liaison to the Senate, which has paid dividends as the GOP-led body moves to confirm even Trump's most controversial Cabinet picks. The ...
The Hill - 3h
Musk says he has no plans to buy TikTok

Tech billionaire Elon Musk said he is not interested in acquiring the video-sharing app TikTok, and has no plans regarding what he would do if he owned it. Musk made the remarks during a virtual ...
The Hill - 1d
Graham's plan for Trump tax cuts

Welcome to The Hill's Business & Economy newsletter {beacon} Business & Economy Business & Economy The Big Story Graham rolls out plan to tackle Trump agenda Senate Budget Committee Chair ...
The Hill - 2d
Federal Employees Push Back on Trump’s Job Slashing Drive

Civil servants, officials, and outside groups are challenging Trump’s frenzied orders to slash federal agencies and headcounts, often denouncing them as illegal.
Inc. - 3d
Trump’s Tariff Plan Is Looking Potentially Disastrous for Inflation

Here’s why Trump’s opening tariff salvo will likely hurt U.S. consumers.
Inc. - 3d