Quotes
I'm heading to the Senate floor because Donald Trump and Elon Musk have shown a complete disregard for the rule of law, the Constitution, and the needs of the American people. You can tune in on CSPAN, YouTube, X, and Facebook."
Booker announced his plan earlier in the evening on X, formerly Twitter, saying
Tonight, I rise with the intention of getting in some good trouble, I rise with the intention of disrupting the normal business of the United States Senate for as long as I am physically able."
Once recognized on the Senate floor, the lawmaker said in part
In 2016 during my filibuster to demand progress on gun safety, @CoryBooker stayed on the floor with me for all 15 hours. An hour ago he just began his own filibuster to protest Trump's lawlessness and corruption. I'm returning the favor. Here on the floor with him all night."
Democratic Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut on X on MondayI rise tonight because I believe sincerely that our country is in crisis."
Booker continued, addingI can't tell you that. I will say this a lot of the people working with DOGE are the secretaries, the heads of the various agencies, and they've learned a lot. And they're dealing with the DOGE people. I think some of them may try to keep the DOGE people."
The president repliedIs DOGE going to keep operating even without Elon Musk?"
Trump was asked by a reporter Monday in the Oval Office.jpg)
It's costing me a lot to be in this job. What they're trying to do is put massive pressure on me, and Tesla, I guess, to stop doing this. My Tesla stock and the stock of everyone who holds Tesla has gone in half. It's a big deal."
Elon Musk in Wisconsin this past weekendThey’ll [the government] send the money overseas to one NGO [non-governmental organization], then they’ll go through a bunch of them, and then I’m highly confident that a bunch of that money then comes back to the United States and lands in the pockets of the people you just mentioned,
the billionaire said
How do they get $20 million if they’re earning $200,000 a year?”
Musk askedIf you increase demand, without a subsequent increase in supply, inflation is the result. A tax credit would be more beneficial in helping the bottom 50 percent of income taxpayers that pay little or no taxes (they get a refund) but won't create as big of a demand surge."
Lance Roberts, chief investment strategist and economist at RIA Advisors, previously told NewsweekEven with the potential savings of recent cuts, stimulus checks are an incredibly expensive endeavor for a government already deeply in debt and facing no pandemic-level emergency to undertake. I would expect legislators will hold out hope of new proposals like tax cuts and less restrictions on some government benefit programs as a way to steer eyes away from stimulus checks being the sole way to help Americans."
Alex Beene, a financial literacy instructor for the University of Tennessee at Martin, previously told NewsweekYou've clearly shown your leadership and team is capable of transforming our government into something better than we see today. I just want to say—I'm sure I'm not the only one who's wondering—but we know that DOGE has found quite a bit of money, and we would like to see some of that return to the American people,
she addedPolitically, that would be great for us, you know, because everybody gets a check,
Johnson said during the 2025 Conservative Political Action Conference in FebruaryAs government spending is made more efficient, as government spending is reduced, the tax by inflation is reduced. So one way or another, you will effectively be better off if resources in the U.S. are not wasted,
the billionaire answeredI'm only 26 but I can imagine it is frustrating for people who have worked their entire lives to see their tax dollars go to fraud, waste, and abuse,
a woman in the audience told MuskWill check with the president."
At the time, Musk had responded sayingThe only way we are going to see a DOGE dividend at current course and speed is Congress pretending fake savings are real savings and enacting a deficit-financed tax cut on top of the $4.5 trillion in tax cuts they are considering as part of the extending the 2017 tax law."
Brendan Duke, senior director for Federal Budget Policy at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, previously told NewsweekIt's up to the Congress and maybe the president too, you know, as to whether specific checks are cut,
he saidThe radical left are saying that, somehow, we're stealing social security. First of all, I don't need the money, okay,
he said to a crowd, which erupted in laughter
I'm not getting paid, definitely not stealing money, and will never get away with it [if I did steal anything], ... Thank you ... You're welcome."
Musk said, following which an audience member yelled, ... to which he responded with