Mar. 25, 2025 6:20p
(WGTD)---Two competing views of the Trump administration’s massive federal workforce reduction initiative were offered Tuesday in separate town halls.
1st District Congressman Bryan Steil—a Janesville Republican—suggested that some of the dislike of Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency is borne out of a misunderstanding and a hatred of the Trump administration. "We have a real important (task) in improving the communication to Americans about exactly how government is making these decisions, in making these changes in creating these efficiencies and helping people navigate threw many of the scare tactics that are being utilized by people that don't like the current Trump administration," Steil said.
In a point that's been debatable at times, Steil said cabinet secretaries--not DOGE or Elon Musk--have the final say over agency staffing.
Democratic U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin happened to hold her own town hall Tuesday via Zoom. She spoke of the chaos, confusion and court cases that have resulted from the mass firings and agency downsizings in the early days of the new administration. "According to the constitution, it's the congress that writes laws and passes budget to fund government and it's the president and his administration that administer those laws and implements them," Baldwin said. "And yet we're seeing these directives that would suggest they're not paying any attention to the laws that congress has passed or the funding bills we've passed in previous years," she said.
Baldwin noted that most of the lawsuits that have come about as a result have so far been successful.
She urged people who are upset to make their voices heard.
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