Trump, Musk Roll Over Republicans With Grab for Congress’ Powers

Congressional Republicans have managed barely a whimper as President Donald Trump wages a historic push to expand executive branch power, steamrolling them along the way and unleashing anxiety across the federal government.

Trump’s not only made a play to snatch authorities that are constitutionally in Congress’s remit, particularly how to spend billions of federal funds, he’s empowered his most-visible adviser, Elon Musk, to case federal agencies for sensitive information and cut staff.

The world’s richest man is so emboldened by Trump’s imprimatur that over this past weekend his own underlings held a standoff at the US Agency for International ...