Musk and Republicans discuss package to vote on DOGE cuts as shutdown nears

WASHINGTON — Elon Musk met with Senate Republicans for nearly two hours in a closed-door lunch meeting Wednesday, seeking to reassure them amid voter anxiety over the sweeping cuts his Department of Government Efficiency is making.

They discussed a “rescission” package that the White House could send to Congress to codify his cuts through a measure that can get around the 60-vote hurdle in order to get around legal challenges to the administration’s power to act unilaterally.

“To me, it’s ephemeral now. I love all the stuff they’re doing, but we got to vote on it. So my message to Elon was let’s get over the impoundment idea, and let’s send it back as a rescission package,” Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., told reporters. “Because then what we have to do is lobby to get to 51 senators or 50 senators to cut the spending.”

Multiple senators said Musk was surprised to learn there was a viable legislative pathway to making DOGE’s cuts permeant. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said Musk was “so happy” when he heard the news, telling reporters that Musk pumped his fists and danced.

He backed the idea Paul raised.

“It’s time for the White House now to go on offense. We’re losing altitude. You know, we started off straight good,” Graham said. “We need to get back in the game on offense. And the way you can regain altitude is to take the work product, get away from the personalities and the drama, take the work product and vote on it.”

Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., organized the lunch meeting as Musk’s activities loom as a sticking point in negotiations to keep the government open and prevent a shutdown March 14. Democrats need to sign off on such a bill, and they have accused the White House of usurping Congress’s power by unilaterally slashing spending directed by law.

Hours earlier, the Supreme Court ruled to reject the Trump administration’s request to freeze billions in foreign aid. Paul said his message to Musk was to “get over the impoundment idea” and work with Congress to make DOGE’s spending cuts permanent.

Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., said there were “a lot of numbers tossed around” in the meeting. But he said Musk didn’t give Republican senators an overall dollar figure for how much he expects DOGE to save or how much money would be cut in a potential rescission package sent to Congress.

At a meeting with White House chief of staff Susie Wiles last week, several GOP senators raised concerns about being out of the loop on…