Nisqually Valley News | U.S. Rep. Marilyn Strickland tells Republicans to ‘grow a spine’ over DOGE actions
By: Jacob Diamond
Comments stem from question about what she’s doing to ‘rein in’ Elon Musk’s cost-cutting department
U.S. Congresswoman Marilyn Strickland, a Democrat representing Washington’s 10th Congressional District, had strong criticism for the controversial Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and Presidential Senior Adviser Elon Musk during her appearance at the Yelm town hall event on Thursday, March 20.
Prior to the town hall — which featured Strickland, Republican state Rep. Matt Marshall, Thurston County Commissioner Rachel Dreon and Yelm Mayor Joe DePinto — attendees of the event had the opportunity to write questions for the politicians.
One community member asked the congresswoman “what she’s doing to rein in DOGE,” which led to strong remarks from Strickland.
“This is how we fight DOGE: we stand up, we speak out and we tell our friends who are Republicans, who are afraid, to stand up to grow a spine,” Strickland said.
She began to answer the question by giving those in attendance “a little bit of a civics lesson” that she learned upon arriving in Congress. In order to pass a law or a bill, it needs to pass the U.S. House of Representatives with at least 218 votes. Currently, there are 215 Democrats in the House, and Republicans also hold a majority in the Senate with 53 seats, versus the Democrats’ 45.
Though Democrats might numerically have the odds stacked against them in the House and in Congress overall, Strickland is calling on three Republicans in the House “to grow a spine” in order to pass HR 1101, the Taxpayer Data Protection Act.
“So what are we doing right now? We’re doing three things. We’re informing the public exactly how DOGE is going to affect you, and I just gave you a very small menu of how it will affect you in the daily life. No 2, we are doing what we can to pass rules to rein this in. There’s a bill right now that has the support of every single Democrat. All we need are three Republicans to grow a spine and do the right thing and vote to protect our private data and information,” Strickland said. “I don’t think anyone disagrees with any organization being more efficient. Whether it’s the government, whether it’s a nonprofit organization, or even if it’s a business — that’s a good thing. However, coming in there and selecting certain departments without a plan, rhyme or reason, is not making the government more efficient.
“Putting veterans out of work does not make the government more efficient,” she said. “Closing Social Security offices and making it harder for people to access their benefits or sign up does not make the government more efficient. Taking food away from children does not make government more efficient. Neither does taking away health care from our elders who are in nursing homes. None of that makes government more efficient.”
The Congresswoman added that Democrats are using the law, suing, filing lawsuits and taking legal recourse toward DOGE’s cuts, noting it “takes a while” to get things through the court system.
In order to “rein in DOGE,” Strickland said Democrats are informing, litigating and trying to pass laws “where (they) can.”
“Judges who have been appointed by presidents from Bush to Obama to the other Bush, to Biden — every time we go to court to defend against DOGE, we prevail,” Strickland said. “When there was an attempt to not have birthright citizenship of children who were born here in the U.S., regardless of their parent status, we prevailed. When there was an attempt to freeze funding that was already approved and appropriated in the last Congress and keep money from coming to the states for important programs, that freeze got lifted.”
Strickland said she wanted those in attendance to think about what the United States of America represents, and whether it’s supposed to represent opportunity and freedom for all.
When thinking about what it means to be an American, Strickland, who described herself as a “moderate Democrat” while giving her remarks about DOGE, said this isn’t a conversation about one extreme or the other.
“This should be a conversation about who we are as Americans,” she said. “Who disagrees that we need more housing? Who disagrees that child care should be affordable? Who disagrees that our elders should be able to stay in a safe nursing home if that’s what we decide to do? Who disagrees that disabled children should be able to get funding from the Department of Education if they need it? Who disagrees with kids getting food? We’re supposed to believe that discrimination is wrong, and we’re supposed to believe that any person who wants to serve in the military, regardless of their background or who they love or how they roll, if they are qualified to serve our country, and we’re having a recruiting crisis, they should be able to serve.
“At some point, as we watch these things collapse and what’s happening with DOGE, we have to ask ourselves, what does it mean to be an American and a U.S. citizen? You don’t get to wave a flag and cheer on Donald Trump while he’s trying to destroy this country. You don’t get to wave a flag and discriminate against people who want to serve in this military. You either love this country or you don’t.”
As political demonstrations against Tesla continue to amp up, three individuals responsible for the “violent destruction” of Tesla properties were recently arrested, the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Public Affairs wrote in a media release.
According to the release, all three defendants “will face the full force of law” after using Molotov cocktails to set fires to charging stations and Tesla cars in apparent acts of defiance and terrorism against the company owned by Musk.
“The days of committing crimes without consequence have ended,” Attorney General Pamela Bondi said in the release. “Let this be a warning: if you join this wave of domestic terrorism against Tesla properties, the Department of Justice will put you behind bars.”
One of the defendants, armed with a suppressed AR-15 rifle, was arrested in Salem after throwing approximately eight Molotov cocktails at a Tesla dealership. The second defendant was arrested in Loveland, Colorado, after attempting to light Tesla vehicles on fire with Molotov cocktails. According to the DOJ, the defendant was found in possession of materials “used to produce additional incendiary weapons.” The third defendant wrote profane messages against President Trump around Tesla charging stations in Charleston, South Carolina, before lighting the stations on fire with Molotov cocktails.
The DOJ wrote each defendant will face “serious charges” that carry a minimum penalty of five years, and up to 20 years in prison. The DOJ “is committed to ending all acts of violence and arson directed at Tesla properties and otherwise,” it wrote.
Following the town hall event in Yelm, the Nisqually Valley News asked Strickland “if there’s a proper way to protest Tesla” following the recent acts of “political domestic terrorism” — as described by President Trump. She said these violent acts toward Tesla and Musk are due to people “feeling angry” and wanting to do “something that’s dramatic.”
“The best way to address Tesla is to not buy one. Or, if you own a Tesla vehicle, get rid of it,” she said.
The congresswoman did not comment further.
On Friday, March 21, President Trump wrote on Truth Social that he looks “forward to watching the sick terrorist thugs get 20-year jail sentences for what they are doing to Elon Musk and Tesla. Perhaps they could serve them in the prisons of El Salvador, which have become so recently famous for such lovely conditions!”