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As Elon Musk continues to overextend his political reach — most recently within the Department of Education — actor Billy Baldwin has suggested one way to fight back.
Baldwin’s suggestion comes amid reports that Musk’s supposed cost-cutting program DOGE has begun reviewing the operations of the primary federal agency that oversees schooling in the U.S. One official within the Department of Education revealed that the billionaire’s taskforce has been working to implement President Donald Trump’s agenda throughout the department, including halting Joe Biden’s investigations into book bans, and ordering schools across the country to be less LGBTQ-inclusive when enforcing sex discrimination laws.
It has also been reported that Musk’s infiltration of the DOE has included running sensitive data relating to the department through artificial intelligence systems, in an effort to slash costs. All of this comes just days after Trump discussed dismantling the DOE entirely, saying he hopes his Education Secretary appointee, Linda McMahon, will “put herself out of a job.” Amid all the hullabaloo, Baldwin took to X to suggest one way to combat Trump and Musk’s attack on the DOE. “If Trump abolishes the Department of Education… teachers should walk out,” the actor and noted Trump critic wrote.
“Shut it all down: Schools. Learning. Childcare,” he added, before warning of the “economic chaos” that would result from a teacher walk-out. While no such strike has been planned (yet), it would add to a series of protests that have already taken place among multiple departments in response to Musk’s DOGE manoeuvres. One demonstration, held earlier this week, saw hundreds of protestors and some Democratic lawmakers rally outside of the Department of the Treasury in Washington, in response to Musk’s team being granted access to the department’s sensitive financial data.
In case you missed it, the billionaire and his team of young techies were permitted access to the systems of the Treasury that are responsible for disbursing trillions of dollars in federal payments. Similar demonstrations were held by USAID workers in Washington this week, after Musk enacted plans to shut down the foreign aid agency. While not a protest in the traditional sense, DOGE also received pushback from the Department of Labor, with major unions filing lawsuits to block Musk from accessing that department’s economic data, including that related to his companies, Space X and Tesla.
The unrest among government workers attacked by Musk is clear, so it stands to reason that the teachers strike Baldwin suggests could (and should) very well be on the cards. If it ever came to fruition, it wouldn’t be the first time teachers have responded to Trump’s presidency. Earlier this year, confusion erupted when it was revealed that the president had nominated McMahon, a former WWE wrestler, to lead the DOE, with some teachers reacting to the appointment on social media.
Musk seems to be increasingly emboldened in his overreach ever since he was elevated to “special government employee” status by Trump, a move that allows the billionaire (who, may I remind you, is unelected) to circumvent the traditional conflict of interest clauses required of a regular government worker. Making matters, he has responded to the widespread criticism of his recent manoeuvres in typical trolling fashion, writing on X that we’re all just suffering from “DOGE Derangement Syndrome.” If concern about an unelected billionaire having access to critical government departments that impact millions makes me deranged, so be it.