CHAOS erupted at the Department of Education on Friday as House Democrats tried to storm the locked property only to be stopped cold by security.
The fuming representatives banged on the door and had a full-blown meltdown as Elon Musk was reportedly allowed inside.
On Friday morning, Democrat lawmakers spoke out against the Department of Government Efficiency and Musk’s plans for America.
A group of lawmakers, headed by Democrat representatives Mark Takano and Maxine Waters from California, arrived at the building to meet with the department but were allegedly denied access, as reported by a source to the Hill.
They wanted to schedule the appointment by Thursday and descended on the front doors when no one got back to them, according to reports.
Outside, they shrieked over Musk being allowed in the building while they were left out in the cold.
They accused the Trump administration of being secretive and stonewalling Congress from political conversations.
“Billionaires can go in this building but not representatives,” Takano told reporters.
“There’s a lack of transparency here.”
Democratic Representative Maxwell Frost from Florida expressed outrage on social media, condemning the situation where they were being blocked from entering the Department of Education while others like Elon were granted access, calling it unlawful.
She went on to blast security for turning all of them away.
This confrontation occurred amidst escalating tensions caused by President Trump’s efforts to close down the Education Department, either through executive action or gradual dismantling.
Despite acknowledging receipt of the letter sent by outraged lawmakers, the department still failed to arrange a meeting.
An aide eventually made it inside to inform security of the lawmakers’ arrival.
But by then, the doors were locked, preventing any further attempts to gain entry.
TRUMP’S PLAN
Trump has long argued that states, not Washington DC, should run education.
On Tuesday, Trump doubled down, stating his education secretary pick, Linda McMahon, should aim to “put herself out of a job.”
Former Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, who served in Trump’s first administration, echoed these sentiments in a recent opinion piece for Fox News, calling for a complete overhaul of the department.
She criticized the focus on DEI mandates instead of core academic skills, urging Trump and Congress to shift power from the federal government and block grant education funding directly to states.
“No child should be trapped in a failing school,” she added.
Meanwhile, lawmakers continue to blast Trump and his administration’s political tactics.
TikTok, gender debate & JFK truth – the rest of Trump’s to-do list
BY Ellie Doughty, Foreign News Reporter
JFK ASSASSINATION
Trump promised to uncover a slew of classified documents on the assassinations of President John F Kennedy, Senator Robert Kennedy and Civil Rights leader Martin Luther King.
During his first term Trump did release some documents related to the fatal shooting of JFK in Dallas, Texas, 1963.
King and Robert Kennedy were both assassinated in 1968.
“In the coming days, we are going to make public remaining records related to the assassinations of President John F Kennedy, his brother Robert Kennedy, as well as Dr Martin Luther King Jr and other topics of great public interest,” he said the day before his Inauguration.
Trump has not specified what kind of documents he hopes to release, but the JFK assassination in particular has been a long-term source of debate in the US.
A widespread conspiracy theory has suggested the involvement of the federal government or CIA in orchestrating and covering up his death.
TIKTOK BAN
Trump has hit repeatedly hit out at the plans to ban TikTok in the US – a wildly popular social media app with some 170million American users.
After national security concerns tied to its Chinese ownership, the app was briefly shut down across the country.
But mere hours after Trump promised to reinstate it after taking office, American users were able to get back online.
The app “welcomed back” American yesterday, lauding Trump as the reason for its return even before his official return to the Oval Office.
He then extended a 90-day period to keep it running.
GENDER DEBATE
Trump has previously vowed to reinstate a ban on transgender military service – something he brought in during his first term which Biden later axed.
He said at a rally in December: “With the stroke of my pen, on day one, we’re going to stop the transgender lunacy.”
He is also expected to ban transgender women from competing in women’s sports, saying: “And I will sign executive orders to end child sexual mutilation, get transgender out of the military and out of our elementary schools and middle schools and high school.
“And we will keep men out of women’s sports. And that will likewise be done on Day One.”
CLIMATE CRUNCH
Trump has also promised to look at cost of living efforts and visit Los Angeles in the wake of recent devastating wildfires.
And he is expected to overturn President Biden’s climate policies – including on the regulation of pollution or green job efforts.
It could also stretch to a ban on new wind projects or electric vehicle mandates.
He has already pulled out of the Paris Climate Agreement – just as he did in 2017, before Biden rejoined in 2021.
Frost, in another video, decried the use of armed officers, calling it an authoritarian tactic to prevent Congress from carrying out its duties.
“We aren’t dangerous. We’re here to defend public education,” he said.
A Department of Education spokesperson said the protest was organized by members of Congress who were exercising their First Amendment rights.
“They did not have any scheduled appointments, and the protest has since ended,” the spokesperson said in a statement.
This protest mirrors similar incidents from Thursday when Democratic lawmakers were denied entry at the Environmental Protection Agency in a failed attempt to meet with DOGE officials.
As the standoff continued, the Nation’s Report Card showed that seven out of 10 fourth graders are unable to read proficiently, highlighting the growing crisis in American education.
The latest report shows no progress in reading scores since 1992.
