Senate Republicans are finding it hard to lock Elon Musk’s D.O.G.E in

Senate Republicans are trying to control D.O.G.E, but Elon Musk isn’t giving them a clear way in. They want the Trump White House to send them a formal rescissions request.

That’s government-speak for canceling money Congress already approved. They say it would help add legitimacy to Elon’s cuts. But the White House is dragging its feet.

No formal request. No timeline. No urgency.

Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency—run by Elon—is already cutting billions without Congress. But federal courts are stepping in. Judges have blocked multiple moves by D.O.G.E to shrink or kill agencies. That’s making Republicans nervous. They want to put their name on the cuts to avoid legal chaos later.

Republicans push for a formal vote on D.O.G.E

Senator Lindsey Graham said it straight: “It would be a big mistake if we don’t. It’s the one way to make D.O.G.E cuts real.” He’s leading the Senate Budget Committee and wants to put Congress on record. He’s not alone.

Republicans could pass a rescissions package with a simple majority. That’s rare. Usually, 60 votes are needed to move anything in the Senate. But under the 1974 Budget and Impoundment Control Act, they just need 51 votes in each chamber. The Senate GOP holds 53 seats. That gives them some space. But the House is tighter. One wrong vote and the whole thing collapses.

They tried this before. Back in 2018, under Trump, Republicans pushed a $15 billion rescissions package. It failed. GOP senators hated the idea of slashing money from their own pet projects. It died quickly. No one wants that kind of mess again. This time, the proposed cuts are way bigger—between $100 billion and $500 billion. That scale is making even the most aggressive Republicans nervous.

Senator John Barrasso admitted the problem: “We tried that in the first Trump administration, it fell a couple of votes short. So we would want to make sure we have something that can pass the House, pass the Senate.” No one wants to waste time on a package that doesn’t get through both chambers.

Still, a few Republicans think they can pull it off. Senator Rand Paul pitched the idea to Elon during a private lunch with Senate Republicans earlier this month. Elon didn’t say no. He said, “Well, they do have a vote.” That gave some Republicans a little hope.

Senator Markwayne Mullin said he’s talked directly to White House officials. “They are absolutely considering sending a rescissions request in the coming weeks,” he said. He added, “I think there’s a lot of opportunities to really lift up the hood and look at some fraud and waste in these programs.” The White House gave no comment on Thursday.

D.O.G.E keeps slashing while courts push back

Despite the court rulings, Elon’s team keeps moving. GOP lawmakers say the White House has told them it will keep canceling money without congressional input. That’s not sitting well with everyone. Senator Lisa Murkowski said she doesn’t believe the White House even wants Congress involved. “Do you think that they’re asking for us to vote on this?” she asked.

The 1974 law that allows these rescissions is one Trump doesn’t even support. On the campaign trail, he said it was unconstitutional. He said presidents should be able to cancel spending without Congress. Senator Rand Paul put it bluntly: “There are forces in the administration who want to simply fight the constitutionality of the Impoundment Act.” That raises a problem. If they don’t believe in the law, why would they use it?

Some Republicans say Elon is going too far. They’ve asked the White House to slow down and give Cabinet secretaries more control, especially over personnel changes. But the D.O.G.E machine keeps rolling.

Half of Senate Republicans even voted against an amendment that would have backed Elon’s shutdown of the U.S. Agency for International Development. That shows how divided they are, even inside their own party.

Senator Susan Collins voted against the 2018 rescissions push. She still doesn’t trust the process. “There should not be unilateral major changes that don’t go through the appropriations process,” she said. She added, “A new rescissions package would be one way for us to decide whether we’re going to accept the D.O.G.E cuts.”

GOP sees political risks and potential payoffs

Vice President JD Vance brought up rescissions again in a private House Republican meeting this month. Speaker Mike Johnson confirmed they “anticipate we will get a rescissions package from the White House,” but only “in the right timing” and with “right calculations.”

Why are they even doing this? Republicans want the savings to help pay for their next big bill—tax cuts and military spending. That bill could hit trillions. Any money cut through D.O.G.E won’t officially count in the bill’s score, but it helps the narrative. Senator John Hoeven said, “Perceptually, people kind of think of them as the same, even though they are different.”

That’s the whole game. Save money now. Spend it later. Make it look clean on paper. But it won’t be easy. If they vote, they’ll have to defend every cut. And some of those cuts are already unpopular inside their own party.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune doesn’t think a request is coming soon. “I think it would happen — if it happens — it would happen after the D.O.G.E does its work and the president and his team make recommendations.”

So far, no vote. No request. No deal.

D.O.G.E keeps swinging. Republicans keep talking. Courts keep blocking. And Congress keeps waiting.

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