As Elon Musk continues to overextend his political attain — most just lately throughout the Division of Training — actor Billy Baldwin has instructed one solution to battle again.
Baldwin’s suggestion comes amid stories that Musk’s supposed cost-cutting program DOGE has begun reviewing the operations of the first federal company that oversees education within the U.S. One official throughout the Division of Training revealed that the billionaire’s taskforce has been working to implement President Donald Trump’s agenda all through the division, together with halting Joe Biden’s investigations into guide bans, and ordering faculties throughout the nation to be much less LGBTQ-inclusive when implementing intercourse discrimination legal guidelines.
It has additionally been reported that Musk’s infiltration of the DOE has included working delicate information referring to the division by way of synthetic intelligence methods, in an effort to slash prices. All of this comes simply days after Trump mentioned dismantling the DOE fully, saying he hopes his Training Secretary appointee, Linda McMahon, will “put herself out of a job.” Amid all of the hullabaloo, Baldwin took to X to recommend one solution to fight Trump and Musk’s assault on the DOE. “If Trump abolishes the Division of Training… lecturers ought to stroll out,” the actor and famous Trump critic wrote.
“Shut all of it down: Colleges. Studying. Childcare,” he added, earlier than warning of the “financial chaos” that might outcome from a trainer walk-out. Whereas no such strike has been deliberate (but), it could add to a collection of protests which have already taken place amongst a number of departments in response to Musk’s DOGE manoeuvres. One demonstration, held earlier this week, noticed tons of of protestors and a few Democratic lawmakers rally exterior of the Division of the Treasury in Washington, in response to Musk’s group being granted entry to the division’s delicate monetary information.
In case you missed it, the billionaire and his group of younger techies had been permitted entry to the methods of the Treasury which can be answerable for disbursing trillions of {dollars} in federal funds. Comparable demonstrations had been held by USAID staff in Washington this week, after Musk enacted plans to close down the overseas help company. Whereas not a protest within the conventional sense, DOGE additionally acquired pushback from the Division of Labor, with main unions submitting lawsuits to dam Musk from accessing that division’s financial information, together with that associated to his corporations, Area X and Tesla.
The unrest amongst authorities staff attacked by Musk is evident, so it stands to cause that the lecturers strike Baldwin suggests might (and will) very properly be on the playing cards. If it ever got here to fruition, it wouldn’t be the primary time lecturers have responded to Trump’s presidency. Earlier this yr, confusion erupted when it was revealed that the president had nominated McMahon, a former WWE wrestler, to steer the DOE, with some lecturers reacting to the appointment on social media.
Musk appears to be more and more emboldened in his overreach ever since he was elevated to “particular authorities worker” standing by Trump, a transfer that permits the billionaire (who, could I remind you, is unelected) to bypass the normal battle of curiosity clauses required of a daily authorities employee. Making issues, he has responded to the widespread criticism of his latest manoeuvres in typical trolling trend, writing on X that we’re all simply affected by “DOGE Derangement Syndrome.” If concern about an unelected billionaire gaining access to important authorities departments that impression tens of millions makes me deranged, so be it.
