Yesterday, Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, complained about recent actions taken by President Donald Trump and his ad hoc advisory Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
But in the end, all she accomplished was to demonstrate her ignorance of how government actually operates on live TV.
She told NBC News chief Capitol Hill correspondent Ryan Nobles that lawmakers need to stand up to the president and not give up legislative authority to the White House.
"The executive basically blows by Congress, or rolls right over Congress, and we allow that," Murkowski told Nobles. "We're ceding our responsibility."
Trump established DOGE to reduce the size of the federal bureaucracy and weed out the waste, fraud, and abuse that’s become such a part of it, and asked tech entrepreneur Elon Musk to head it up.
To that end DOGE told federal employees that they could no longer work remotely, but were required to get back to the office.
DOGE also asked federal workers to list five things they’d accomplished during the previous week.
"The intimidation, if you will, deliver this . . . these five bullets by Monday at noon or you lose your job? Again, if you want accountability, let's ask for accountability but let's do that through the proper . . . through the proper chain," Sen. Murkowski told Nobles.
But other than oversight Congress has nothing to do with the inner workings of the federal bureaucracy, and especially with the hiring and firing of its workforce.
In fact, agencies aren’t even necessarily formed by Congress.
In 1961, for example, President John F. Kennedy established the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) by executive order, which has come under fire during the past month for making questionable grants and awards.
Murkowski, who’s been in the Senate for 22 years, should know better than to say "We're ceding our responsibility" to the executive branch.
Congress isn't ceding anything — federal departments, bureaus and agencies are all a part of the executive branch of government — not the legislature.
Additionally, there’s nothing wrong with asking the workforce to account for their time. Newsmax host Chris Salcedo asked Tuesday, "Why would [Murkowski] think government workers are owed a living without proof of accomplishment?"
It’s a matter of common sense.
People working in the private sector have to justify their wages all the time, from those in manufacturing paid piecework to lawyers who have to account for their time every quarter-hour.
Asking government workers to list just one task they accomplished each day during the previous week is nothing.
At least one federal employee didn’t see the problem.
"I am a federal employee that got an email basically stating that I needed to highlight 5 accomplishments that I had last week. And to me, that was not a huge deal," she said.
The employee added, "It was sent over in an email that took me 6 minutes."
A Department of Human Services employee called into a far-left "Breakfast Club" radio Show and flipped the script on Murkowski by considering it a chance to get ahead.
"I got the email. And I honestly feel like this is a great opportunity to outline what you, as an employee are bringing to the federal government. They could give you an opportunity to get a promotion or something," she said.
"This is our taxpayer money. And you have to work. You don’t like it? Get another job."
Moreover, the people — Murkowski’s ultimate boss and the voters she has to answer to — overwhelmingly support the 11 items central to the Trump agenda, including "cutting government spending [even if] already approved by Congress."
Trump pocketed Alaska’s electoral votes in the last three presidential elections by double digits, winning in 2016 by 14.7%, 2020 by 10.0%, and 2024 by 13.1%, yet Murkowski routinely votes with Democrats.
Although Murkowski has never hid her distaste for Trump, she was reelected two years ago, outpacing Trump-backed Kelly Tshibaka.
Murkowski’s victory arguably got a boost from Alaska’s new ranked choice voting system.
If she plans to seek reelection in 2028, she may want to start listening to her constituents, the very people she has to answer to. Just within the last month, for example, she voted against the confirmation of Kash Patel as FBI director, and Pete Hegseth as Defense secretary.
In the meantime, Alaska may want to ditch ranked choice voting.
Their voters deserve better that what they’re getting.
They deserve a senator that matches their conservative values.
Michael Dorstewitz is a retired lawyer and has been a frequent contributor to Newsmax. He is also a former U.S. Merchant Marine officer and a Second Amendment supporter. Read Michael Dorstewitz's Reports — More Here.
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