In a striking display of the limits being placed on congressional authority in the first weeks of the new administration, several Democratic lawmakers were denied entry to the U.S. Department of Education on Friday.
“Get out of the way,” Representative Maxine Waters of California told a man blocking more than a dozen House Democrats from the doors at the department’s Washington offices. The man, who was not identified by name, said he was a federal employee working for the department.
“Did Elon Musk hire you?” asked Representative Becca Balint of Vermont.
“This is an outrage,” Representative Mark Takano of California shouted as he and his colleagues were physically blocked from entering the building. “We have oversight responsibilities,” he said during the unsuccessful attempt to enter.
The clash, captured on video by multiple members, was yet another episode that became a flashpoint in the intensifying battle over the administration’s efforts to reshape the federal bureaucracy.
“They are blocking members of Congress from entering the Department of Education! Elon is allowed in and not the people? ILLEGAL,” Representative Maxwell Frost of Florida wrote in a post.
It is unclear, however, if the federal employee violated any laws by refusing entry. While members of Congress do have an oversight role over federal agencies, that power is typically exercised through hearings and enforcement of policies.
And while the Constitution grants Congress the power to establish federal government offices, it is unclear whether individual members are granted unfettered access to those buildings.
Lawmakers have expressed frustration with the broader transformation underway within the federal government, where Elon Musk — the world’s wealthiest man and the head of what Mr. Musk has labeled the Department of Government Efficiency — has been granted an unusual degree of influence.
The standoff follows a campaign promise by President Trump to dismantle and eventually shut down the Department of Education, which he has characterized as an agency injecting extreme ideology on race and gender into the nation’s public schools.
“We will move everything back to the states, where it belongs,” he said during one campaign speech. “They can individualize education and do it with the love for their children.”
Since taking office, a number of broader actions by Mr. Trump have directly affected the Department of Education and its work force.
Last month, employees across the Education Department were put on administrative leave. The department cited guidance from the Office of Personnel Management, which had instructed federal agencies to submit plans for reducing staff associated with diversity, equity and inclusion efforts by the end of the day on Jan. 31.
Alarmed by the action and threats of more efforts to overhaul the department, Democratic lawmakers sent a letter late Wednesday seeking a meeting with Denise L. Carter, the acting education secretary. When their request went unanswered, they showed up at the department’s headquarters on Friday morning, only to find themselves denied entry.
No official explanation was given for the refusal of entry, and lawmakers grew more agitated at the arrival of armed federal officers.
“We aren’t dangerous,” Mr. Frost wrote in a social media post. “We are here to represent our people.”
Similar scenes played out throughout the week at other agencies where Democratic lawmakers were locked out, including Treasury Department offices, the U.S. Agency for International Development and the Environmental Protection Agency.
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