Dear MoveOn member,
Elon Musk, an unelected billionaire, has taken control of the federal government and our taxpayer money, putting at risk everything from Head Start child care programs to Social Security checks to our tax refunds.1
Meanwhile, Elon's personal net worth has increased by $156 billion since the November election.2
Nobody elected Elon, and he cannot operate above the law just because he's a billionaire and Trump's top campaign donor. But the world's richest man is running roughshod over us to further line his own pockets and remake America in his own image.
John, this is a break-glass moment.
That's why after 50,000 of you joined us last Sunday night to strategize about all that is happening, MoveOn organized a high-profile, 3,500-people-strong protest outside the Treasury Department on Tuesday calling for Democratic leaders to stop the billionaire takeover.
The rally ignited Democrats, finally.3 And Democrats in Congress are now starting to fight back, including by stopping the Senate from being able to vote on Trump nominees, but it's just the start.4
We need your help to ramp up our emergency Nobody Elected Elon campaign. Will you start a monthly donation to help MoveOn have and sustain the resources to use every tool we have to fight back and reject this billionaire takeover?
If you've saved your payment information with ActBlue Express, your donation will go through immediately:
Donate: $5 monthly
Donate another amount monthly
Elon has taken over our federal checkbook, which makes $6 trillion in annual payments and includes highly sensitive personal information on all of us—Social Security numbers, bank accounts, contact information, payment history—with zero oversight or accountability.5
In fact, when members of Congress attempted to enter the Treasury Department on Tuesday, they were locked out.6
The federal payment system has so much private data and poses such severe cybersecurity risks that very few civil servants had access to it.7
The programs Elon now controls are lifelines for millions of people and now appear to be all at Elon's whim.
The National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare warned this week that Social Security beneficiaries "have every reason to be alarmed."8
The same is true for all other government programs and payments.
Early this morning, in response to a lawsuit brought by 19 attorneys general, a federal judge temporarily blocked Elon's access to the Treasury Department's payment and data systems, warning that there's risk of "irreparable harm."9 But we don't know whether Elon, who operates without regard to our nation's laws, will comply or what will happen next in the lawsuit.
John, this is madness. But we, the American people, are the ones who hold the true power. If we come together and fight back, Trump and Elon cannot get away with their billionaire takeover. Our massive rally outside the Treasury Department on Tuesday was a start, but we urgently need to ramp up our work.
Please, if you can, start a monthly donation to our emergency Nobody Elected Elon campaign.
If you've saved your payment information with ActBlue Express, your donation will go through immediately:
Donate: $5 monthly
Donate another amount monthly
We can move mountains, if we come together and use our collective power. Join us.
Thanks for all you do.
–Britt, Cheryl, Oscar, Jensine, and the rest of the team
Sources:
1. "Here's how Musk's access to Treasury system may impact Social Security, other government payments," CNBC, February 5, 2025
https://act.moveon.org/go/202536?t=22&akid=424082%2E40999114%2Ex3Li93
2. Post on X by Peter Baker, February 4, 2025
https://act.moveon.org/go/202537?t=24&akid=424082%2E40999114%2Ex3Li93
3. "The Democratic resistance is reawakening — and Elon Musk is its new villain," Business Insider, February 5, 2025
https://act.moveon.org/go/202538?t=26&akid=424082%2E40999114%2Ex3Li93
4. Post on Blue Sky by Brad Johnson, February 5, 2025
https://act.moveon.org/go/202595?t=28&akid=424082%2E40999114%2Ex3Li93
5. "Democrats threaten to obstruct Trump's agenda over Musk's DOGE efforts," ABC News, February 4, 2025
https://act.moveon.org/go/202539?t=30&akid=424082%2E40999114%2Ex3Li93
6. "Democrats join protest against Musk's 'hostile takeover' of federal payment systems," The Guardian, February 4, 2025
https://act.moveon.org/go/202540?t=32&akid=424082%2E40999114%2Ex3Li93
7. "Elon Musk's Doge team granted 'full access' to federal payment system," The Guardian, February 2, 2025
https://act.moveon.org/go/202541?t=34&akid=424082%2E40999114%2Ex3Li93
8. "Here's how Musk's access to Treasury system may impact Social Security, other government payments," CNBC, February 5, 2025
https://act.moveon.org/go/202536?t=36&akid=424082%2E40999114%2Ex3Li93
9. "Judge Halts Access to Treasury Payment Systems by Elon Musk’s Team," The New York Times, February 8, 2025
https://act.moveon.org/go/202604?t=38&akid=424082%2E40999114%2Ex3Li93
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