gotchanewsdaily.com 
CNN
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Congressional Republicans looking for clarity over Elon Musk’s efforts to slash the federal workforce are getting an opportunity to engage with Musk directly on Wednesday in a pair of meetings on Capitol Hill, as lawmakers push for a seat at the table in the sweeping effort to overhaul government.
GOP lawmakers have been making the case to their leadership behind the scenes for weeks that Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency needs to consult more with Congress about the programs it is eliminating and the scope of the cuts. But congressional Republicans want to remain in lockstep with the way President Donald Trump and Musk are reshaping the federal government, and have so far carefully carried out their pushback.
In a private meeting, Elon Musk gave out his cell phone number to GOP senators and told them he wants to work more closely with them, according to a person familiar with the matter.
Some House Republicans in recent weeks have pleaded with leadership for guidance on how to respond to the outpouring of questions from their home districts on recent federal cuts. Republicans have taken to privately urging humane treatment for federal workers in lieu of condemning elements of the administration’s approach.
Washington GOP Rep. Dan Newhouse told CNN a meeting was scheduled “to talk about these kinds of things, to engage Congress more, to be more thoughtful about some of the things that he’s doing,”
“We support the underlying efforts here and the goals, but we want to impress upon him how that we should be more strategic,” Newhouse said.
As the confusion around what federal grants remain flowing and how the firing of federal employees is being handled, Republicans, who continue to hear an earful from their constituents, want answers about DOGE’s process.
Sen. Mike Rounds said that he wants Musk to explain how DOGE will fix any mistaken cuts when he meets with the Senate GOP over lunch.
The South Dakota Republican said he wants to hear “how we fix the things that don’t go the way they’re supposed to.”
“In a lot of cases, where they are carte blanche making significant cuts, how do we go about making sure that that message gets back and it gets corrected as quickly as possible?” Rounds added.
“I want to see if we can get a firm approach to what would work the best to make those modifications when they are – when they are being done accidentally, in some cases.”
Senate Majority Leader John Thune told CNN’s Dana Bash on Tuesday that the DOGE effort should involve more compassion for how federal workers are being treated.
“You also have to pay attention to the aftermath of that and how it impacts people. I mean, these are real people. They need to be treated that way,” he said, speaking of affected federal workers.
As the pressure builds for the party to respond more publicly, the leader of the House GOP campaign arm, NRCC Chair Richard Hudson, urged GOP members on Tuesday not to hold in-person townhalls going forward and to opt for virtual ones instead, according to three sources in a private meeting of House Republicans, as lawmakers have been overwhelmed and confronted by concerned individuals.
Rounds said that White House chief of staff Susie Wiles “has offered to be the contact when she’s been in front of us,” about DOGE, but noted “she’s just one person,” so Republicans need more of a process to be able to get more information.
CNN’s Manu Raju and Morgan Rimmer contributed to this report.
