The Valley Chronicle - Padilla, Schiff, Colleagues to Trump: Fire Elon Musk, Reinstate Agency Leaders and Federal Watchdogs
Democratic lawmakers demand Trump reinstate fired Senate-confirmed officials and address Musk’s conflicts of interest, cite officials’ investigations and prosecutions of Musk’s companies
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff (both D-Calif.) joined 40 of their Congressional Democratic colleagues in raising concerns about President Donald Trump’s unlawful firings of dozens of independent agency heads and Inspectors General (IGs), and calling attention to how many of these firings appear to benefit Elon Musk. The lawmakers also urged Trump to immediately reinstate the illegally fired individuals and remove Musk from his government role with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), on which there are still very few details, unless he addresses his conflicts of interest.
Musk and his companies have been the subject of at least 20 recent government investigations or prosecutions, including for possible violations of federal safety and labor laws. President Trump and Elon Musk’s removals of agency heads and career civil servants have affected at least 11 federal agencies that are conducting over 32 ongoing investigations, complaints, or enforcement actions against Musk’s companies.
The lawmakers warned that failing to hold Musk accountable hurts American citizens and threatens the democratic system of checks and balances.
“Nearly all of your decisions you made about who to fire appear to benefit Mr. Musk, and many target individuals and agencies that are currently investigating or prosecuting Mr. Musk or his companies for unlawful behavior,” wrote the lawmakers. “Many of these individuals have legal protections dictating why and how they can be removed from office. … Altogether, these firings either directly benefit Mr. Musk and his companies or remove guardrails that would hold them accountable to the rule of law.”
“These firings have removed the exact individuals in our government who would hold Mr. Musk and his companies accountable for following the law and protect everyday Americans from threats to their health, welfare, safety, and economic well-being,” continued the lawmakers.
The lawmakers’ letter lists several agency heads and watchdogs who were improperly fired while involved in oversight surrounding Musk, including but not limited to: National Labor Relations Board Chair Gwynne Wilcox, Federal Election Commission (FEC) Chair Ellen Weintraub, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Commissioners Jocelyn Samuels and Charlotte Burrow, and U.S. Department of Agriculture Inspector General Phyllis Fong.
Several of Trump’s orders contradict legal protections for the relevant officials. For example, federal law requires the president to notify Congress before removing an inspector general, but Trump did not do so before firing over a dozen IGs. Shortly after the terminations, Senators Padilla and Schiff joined a letter to President Trump demanding that the IGs be reinstated. President Trump has violated federal law with respect to numerous other agency officials, including the Office of the Special Counsel, the head of the Merit Service Protection Board, and a member of the National Labor Relations Board. Federal courts have already intervened against many of these presidential actions.
The letter was led by Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Cory Booker (D-N.J.), along with House Oversight Committee Ranking Member Gerry Connolly (D-Va.-11) and House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Jamie Raskin (D-Md.-08). In addition to Padilla and Schiff, the letter is also signed by Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), and Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), as well as Representatives Becca Balint (D-Vt.-AL), Donald Beyer (D-Va.-08), Julia Brownley (D-Calif.-26), Yvette Clarke (D-N.Y.-09), Emanuel Cleaver (D-Mo.-05), Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.-09), Danny Davis (D-Ill.-07), Mark DeSaulnier (D-Calif.-10), Jesús G. “Chuy” García (D-Ill.-04), Robert Garcia (D-Calif.-42), Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.-07), Henry C. “Hank” Johnson (D-Ga.-04), Robin Kelly (D-Ill.-02), Ro Khanna (D-Calif.-17), Summer Lee (D-Pa.-12), Mike Levin (D-Calif.-49), Doris Matsui (D-Calif.-07), LaMonica McIver (D-N.J.-10), Seth Moulton (D-Mass.-06), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.-AL), Johnny Olszewski (D-Md.-02), Delia C. Ramirez (D-Ill.-03), Mary Gay Scanlon (D-Pa.-05), Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.-09), Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.-01), Suhas Subramanyam (D-Va.-10), Dina Titus (D-Nev.-01), Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.-12), Jill Tokuda (D-Hawai’i-02), Paul Tonko (D-N.Y.-20), and Maxine Waters (D-Calif.-43).
Senators Padilla and Schiff have fought against the Trump Administration’s federal workforce cuts and Inspectors General firings. Last month, Padilla, Schiff, and all other Senate Judiciary Committee Democrats demanded answers from Trump Administration nominees and acting officials on the removal or reassignment of career law enforcement officials across the Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Padilla condemned Trump’s attempt to unlawfully fire more than a dozen Inspectors General during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing. He previously sounded the alarm on concerning reports that DOGE will make wide-ranging, harmful cuts to the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) workforce and programs, hampering HUD’s ability to support vulnerable communities and combat the housing and homelessness crises. As Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, Padilla also denounced the illegal firing of FEC Chair Weintraub and led 10 Democratic Senators to demand President Trump rescind this decision.

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Democratic lawmakers demand Trump reinstate fired Senate-confirmed officials and address Musk’s conflicts of interest, cite officials’ investigations and prosecutions of Musk’s companies
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff (both D-Calif.) joined 40 of their Congressional Democratic colleagues in raising concerns about President Donald Trump’s unlawful firings of dozens of independent agency heads and Inspectors General (IGs), and calling attention to how many of these firings appear to benefit Elon Musk. The lawmakers also urged Trump to immediately reinstate the illegally fired individuals and remove Musk from his government role with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), on which there are still very few details, unless he addresses his conflicts of interest.
Musk and his companies have been the subject of at least 20 recent government investigations or prosecutions, including for possible violations of federal safety and labor laws. President Trump and Elon Musk’s removals of agency heads and career civil servants have affected at least 11 federal agencies that are conducting over 32 ongoing investigations, complaints, or enforcement actions against Musk’s companies.
The lawmakers warned that failing to hold Musk accountable hurts American citizens and threatens the democratic system of checks and balances.
“Nearly all of your decisions you made about who to fire appear to benefit Mr. Musk, and many target individuals and agencies that are currently investigating or prosecuting Mr. Musk or his companies for unlawful behavior,” wrote the lawmakers. “Many of these individuals have legal protections dictating why and how they can be removed from office. … Altogether, these firings either directly benefit Mr. Musk and his companies or remove guardrails that would hold them accountable to the rule of law.”
“These firings have removed the exact individuals in our government who would hold Mr. Musk and his companies accountable for following the law and protect everyday Americans from threats to their health, welfare, safety, and economic well-being,” continued the lawmakers.
The lawmakers’ letter lists several agency heads and watchdogs who were improperly fired while involved in oversight surrounding Musk, including but not limited to: National Labor Relations Board Chair Gwynne Wilcox, Federal Election Commission (FEC) Chair Ellen Weintraub, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Commissioners Jocelyn Samuels and Charlotte Burrow, and U.S. Department of Agriculture Inspector General Phyllis Fong.
Several of Trump’s orders contradict legal protections for the relevant officials. For example, federal law requires the president to notify Congress before removing an inspector general, but Trump did not do so before firing over a dozen IGs. Shortly after the terminations, Senators Padilla and Schiff joined a letter to President Trump demanding that the IGs be reinstated. President Trump has violated federal law with respect to numerous other agency officials, including the Office of the Special Counsel, the head of the Merit Service Protection Board, and a member of the National Labor Relations Board. Federal courts have already intervened against many of these presidential actions.
The letter was led by Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Cory Booker (D-N.J.), along with House Oversight Committee Ranking Member Gerry Connolly (D-Va.-11) and House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Jamie Raskin (D-Md.-08). In addition to Padilla and Schiff, the letter is also signed by Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), and Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), as well as Representatives Becca Balint (D-Vt.-AL), Donald Beyer (D-Va.-08), Julia Brownley (D-Calif.-26), Yvette Clarke (D-N.Y.-09), Emanuel Cleaver (D-Mo.-05), Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.-09), Danny Davis (D-Ill.-07), Mark DeSaulnier (D-Calif.-10), Jesús G. “Chuy” García (D-Ill.-04), Robert Garcia (D-Calif.-42), Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.-07), Henry C. “Hank” Johnson (D-Ga.-04), Robin Kelly (D-Ill.-02), Ro Khanna (D-Calif.-17), Summer Lee (D-Pa.-12), Mike Levin (D-Calif.-49), Doris Matsui (D-Calif.-07), LaMonica McIver (D-N.J.-10), Seth Moulton (D-Mass.-06), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.-AL), Johnny Olszewski (D-Md.-02), Delia C. Ramirez (D-Ill.-03), Mary Gay Scanlon (D-Pa.-05), Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.-09), Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.-01), Suhas Subramanyam (D-Va.-10), Dina Titus (D-Nev.-01), Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.-12), Jill Tokuda (D-Hawai’i-02), Paul Tonko (D-N.Y.-20), and Maxine Waters (D-Calif.-43).
Senators Padilla and Schiff have fought against the Trump Administration’s federal workforce cuts and Inspectors General firings. Last month, Padilla, Schiff, and all other Senate Judiciary Committee Democrats demanded answers from Trump Administration nominees and acting officials on the removal or reassignment of career law enforcement officials across the Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Padilla condemned Trump’s attempt to unlawfully fire more than a dozen Inspectors General during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing. He previously sounded the alarm on concerning reports that DOGE will make wide-ranging, harmful cuts to the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) workforce and programs, hampering HUD’s ability to support vulnerable communities and combat the housing and homelessness crises. As Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, Padilla also denounced the illegal firing of FEC Chair Weintraub and led 10 Democratic Senators to demand President Trump rescind this decision.
The Valley Chronicle - Padilla, Schiff, Colleagues to Trump: Fire Elon Musk, Reinstate Agency Leaders and Federal Watchdogs
Democratic lawmakers demand Trump reinstate fired Senate-confirmed officials and address Musk’s conflicts of interest, cite officials’ investigations and prosecutions of Musk’s companies
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Ranking Members Padilla, Morelle Continue to Press Trump Administration on Firings of Election Security Workers, Pause of Critical Election Security Efforts Lawmakers’ letter follows lack of response
Padilla, Schiff, Colleagues to Trump: Fire Elon Musk, Reinstate Agency Leaders and Federal Watchdogs
Democratic lawmakers demand Trump reinstate fired Senate-confirmed officials and address Musk’s conflicts of interest, cite officials’ investigations and prosecutions of Musk’s companies
Leprechauns bring lots of green to Soboba Tribal Preschool
Leprechauns bring lots of green to Soboba Tribal Preschool
24 Kids Shop with a Cop in Hemet
24 Kids Shop with a Cop in Hemet
NFPA urges added caution this holiday season, as Christ
NFPA urges added caution this holiday season, as Christmas Day and Christmas Eve are among the leading days of the year for U.S. home fires
Padilla Hosts Virtual Federal Student Debt Relief Brief
Padilla Hosts Virtual Federal Student Debt Relief Briefing to Encourage Californians to Apply

Four CSUSB alumni win top award for radio show
Four CSUSB alumni win top award for radio show
CSUSB Nursing Street Medicine Program partners with new
CSUSB Nursing Street Medicine Program partners with new mobile medical clinic
CHP plans DUI checkpoint in Hemet Valley
CHP plans DUI checkpoint in Hemet Valley
C.W. Driver companies breaks ground on new three-story
C.W. Driver companies breaks ground on new three-story stem education building

State financial aid deadline extended to April 2
PALM DESERT, Calif. – The California Student Aid Commission (CSAC) has extended the priority deadline from March 3 to April 2, giving California students and their
Leprechauns bring lots of green to Soboba Tribal Preschool
Leprechauns bring lots of green to Soboba Tribal Preschool

MSJC Hosts Temecula Valley Campus Dedication Ceremony
MSJC Hosts Temecula Valley Campus Dedication Ceremony
Padilla Hosts Virtual Federal Student Debt Relief Brief
Padilla Hosts Virtual Federal Student Debt Relief Briefing to Encourage Californians to Apply
Follow-up: Plane Crashes Near Residential Homes in Hemet
Follow-up: Plane Crashes Near Residential Homes in Hemet
CHP plans DUI checkpoint in Hemet Valley
CHP plans DUI checkpoint in Hemet Valley
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