Say No! to Elmo.

No, Elon, spending a quarter billion dollars on Donald Trump is not the same as buying the US government. It may be Trump's price but it's not his to sell.

No, DOGE is not part of the US government, neither you nor your buddies are government employees, and no one elected you to make policy for 330 million Americans.

No, you don't have legal standing to take over government systems, block access by career staff, or make changes to either those systems or policy of the affected agencies.

No, an uber-wealthy billionaire, whose fortune derives in large part from government contracts and/or subsidies, has no place advising the president on regulations, tax police, or staffing of federal agencies. The conflicts of interest are staggering.

No, you and your minions should not have access to the personal data of millions of Federal employees (Office of Personnel Management) or the Treasury Department's payment system, which contains the personal information of millions of Americans receiving Social Security payments, tax refunds, and other government payments.

No, we're not going to stand by and watch you do to our nation what you've done to Twitter/X and are on the way to doing with Tesla.

We call on Speaker of the House Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune to reclaim the power of the legislative branch now by making it clear that Musk's current role must end. If Trump wants him as an adviser, he should be appointed to a legitimate, Cabinet-level position and subject to Senate approval and all applicable ethics rules. No unelected outsider should have such power.