
Sanders puts Musk in focus amid DOGE cuts
QUICK FIX
WHO'S REALLY RUNNING DOL?: Since losing his post atop the Senate HELP Committee, Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) — the panel's current ranking member — has unsurprisingly been frosty toward President Donald Trump's nominees to lead the Labor Department.
However, amid the so-called Department of Government Efficiency's effort to purge federal employees, Sanders has taken a more uninterested tone in the nominees themselves by dismissing the president's picks and asserting that Elon Musk will ultimately be the one to shape their agencies.
'The next secretary of Labor, the next secretary of Education, the next secretary of [Housing and Urban Development], next secretary of the Treasury is Elon Musk and let us understand that reality and play go along with the charades,' Sanders said before lawmakers voted to confirm Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer.
Sanders also left Deputy Labor Secretary Keith Sonderling's nomination hearing early and has made sure to highlight Musk at nearly every hearing he's attended.
When asked about how he's approached the nominee process for Trump's picks, he told Shift last week that he only left one hearing early, but his move to shift the focus to Musk is one of the many strategies Democrats are attempting in standing up to Trump's effort to remake the federal government.
As Democrats have resorted to pointing fingers and searching for a coherent message since Trump's victory last fall, Sanders has hit the road to hold rallies with strong attendance where he's focused on pocketbook issues while calling attention to the risks of taking a chainsaw to federal agencies.
With several additional labor and employment nominees set to appear for the committee in the coming months, Sanders is likely to continue highlighting Musk's role in the federal government, especially as new polling shows that his work leading DOGE is deeply unpopular with the American public.
GOOD MORNING. It's Monday, March 17. Welcome back to Morning Shift, your go-to tipsheet on labor and employment-related immigration. Send feedback, tips and exclusives to nniedzwiadek@politico.com, lukenye@politico.com, rdugyala@politico.com and gmott@politico.com. Follow us on X at @NickNiedz and @Lawrence_Ukenye.
Want to receive this newsletter every weekday? Subscribe to POLITICO Pro. You'll also receive daily policy news and other intelligence you need to act on the day's biggest stories.
AROUND THE AGENCIES
NOT SO EAGER: Federal employees reinstated by a pair of district court rulings last week aren't rushing to reclaim their jobs and are already filling out applications for other roles after losing faith in their previous employers.
'The government hates us,' Oleka Chmura, 28, an employee who previously worked at Yellowstone National Park, told The Washington Post. 'I was originally putting up with it because I believed in the park's mission, but I can't go back to the anxiety of, 'Am I fired or am I not?''
Some employees were excited to return to work but discovered that their agencies weren't part of lawsuits in California and Maryland that led federal judges to order the Trump administration to call fired feds back to work.
More agency news: 'UFL players file complaint with NLRB over CBA talks,' from ESPN.
Even more: "Federal Budget Ax Threatens Contractors, but Could Also Be an Opportunity,' from The New York Times.
On The Hill
FUNDING FALLOUT: Democrats continued their recriminations into the weekend after Senate leaders chose to support a stopgap funding bill that the party seemingly broadly opposed, with many directing their ire at Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.
Some lawmakers did come to his defense, including Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), who notably voted against the bill.
'Leader Schumer has a very difficult job. I don't envy the job that he has,' Murphy said Sunday on NBC's 'Meet the Press,' adding: 'I still support Senator Schumer as leader.'
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), who appeared on ABC's 'This Week,' threw cold water on the anger directed against his colleagues who backed the continuing resolution, arguing that entering a government shutdown would've empowered the Office of Personnel Management to pursue deeper cuts to the federal workforce.
Schumer backlash continues: ''Uniting anger': Democrats fume over Schumer's handling of funding fight,' from our Holly Otterbein, Lisa Kashinsky, Jordain Carney, Elena Schneider and Brakkton Booker.
Unions
NOT ON THEIR WATCH: Nurses unions are pushing back against hospitals for adding AI tools that monitor patients' vital signs and develop action plans for care as they grapple with staff shortages, The Associated Press reports.
'Hospitals have been waiting for the moment when they have something that appears to have enough legitimacy to replace nurses,' said Michelle Mahon of National Nurses United. 'The entire ecosystem is designed to automate, de-skill and ultimately replace caregivers.'
The union has organized more than a dozen protests urging hospitals to let their staff dictate how the technology is used, and guardrails against discipline for personnel who choose not to follow medical advice from AI.
In the Workplace
DISTRICT DOWNTURN: The D.C. economy could enter a recession as early as this year due to the widespread job losses from the Trump administration's effort to trim the federal workforce, CNN reports.
Oxford Economics estimates the region could lose nearly $5 billion in wages from cuts to federal jobs, which will likely ripple through the region's consumer-facing businesses, including hospitality and retail.
Not just D.C.: 'DOGE Upheaval Arrives in Cities Far From Washington,' from The Wall Street Journal.
TESLA TUMBLES: AkademikerPension, a Danish pension fund, is dropping its Tesla shares over the company's worker rights record and Elon Musk's support for far-right political candidates, Bloomberg reports.
The move comes after the company's stocks tumbled in recent weeks, prompting Trump to hold an event at the White House featuring the EVs to show support for Musk. The company's stocks briefly began to rebound last week.
Conservatives began to rally around the car brand last week, while the left escalated their attacks against Musk, including Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), who announced last week that he was getting rid of his Tesla and called the vehicle 'a rolling billboard' for Musk.
More workplace news: 'Davos organiser promises revamp after probe into workplace discrimination,' from the Financial Times.
WHAT WE'RE READING
— 'How Trump's 'No Tax on Tips' Could Backfire for the Working Class,' from Bloomberg.
— 'To Investigate Labor Abuse, We Began With a Question: Who Profits?,' from The New York Times.
— 'CEOs Face More Accountability When a Board Member Has Military Experience,' from The Wall Street Journal.
— 'Other states are preparing for the House NIL settlement. But can Florida schools compete?,' from our Andrew Atterbury.
THAT'S YOUR SHIFT!
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


UPI
11 minutes ago
- UPI
Australia awaits American decision on AUKUS nuclear submarine pact
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at Naval Base Point Loma in San Diego, Calif. in March of 2023. File Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI | License Photo June 12 (UPI) -- Australian Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles announced Thursday he feels that the AUKUS nuclear submarine deal which connects with the United Kingdom and United States, will continue after the Trump administration reviews the pact. "I am very confident this is going to happen," he told ABC News, as he believes AUKUS is of strategic interest to all three nations. The Pentagon has expressed that the 2021 deal is being reassessed to make sure it's a fit with President Donald Trump's "America First" agenda before he meets with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at the G7 summit taking place in Canada next week. U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth also had met with Marles, who is also Australia's Minister for Defense, earlier this month and recommended Australia increase its defense spending to 3.5 percent of its GDP. Albanese said in a press conference Tuesday that he thinks "that Australia should decide what we spend on Australia's defense" when asked about a defense spending boost, while not directly addressing if he would risk losing the AUKUS deal over that decision as questioned. The Pentagon review is being led by U.S. Under Secretary of Defense Elbridge Colby, who in the past has been critical of the deal made under the Biden administration to arm Australia with nuclear subs that use advanced American and British technology. "In principle it's a great idea," Colby posted to X about AUKUS in August of 2024," but added he's "agnostic" about the program. However, Colby also posted that day he was "convinced we should focus on Asia, readying for a war with China" in order to avoid it. Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lin Jian announced Thursday in a press conference when asked about his nation's opinion on the possibility of an end to AUKUS that China opposes "manufacturing bloc confrontation and anything that amplifies the risk of nuclear proliferation and exacerbates arms race."


E&E News
15 minutes ago
- E&E News
New megabill text revives land sales, axes IRA funding
The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee's portion of Republicans' party-line bill proposes to sell off certain public lands and repeal billions of dollars for energy programs in Democrats' 2022 climate law. The committee's proposal, unveiled Wednesday evening, contains many of the provisions in the House-passed H.R. 1, the 'One Big, Beautiful Bill Act' — including ones that would target the Department of Energy's Loan Programs Office or charge a one-time fee to speed up permitting for some natural gas projects. But there are some significant differences. Most notable is a new section favored by Chair Mike Lee (R-Utah) to revive the sale of public lands, reigniting a firestorm of opposition from advocates. The provision goes further than an abandoned proposal in the House, encompassing Bureau of Land Management and Forest Service lands across 11 Western states. Advertisement ENR's text comes as the Senate is racing to tweak and quickly vote on tax, energy and national security legislation after the House approved its version last month. Republicans are working through the reconciliation process, which will allow them to skirt the Senate filibuster and pass the budget-focused bill with simple majorities.
Yahoo
15 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Senate Democrats demand probe of Ed Martin's pledge to 'shame' Trump's opponents, other actions at DOJ
Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee are pushing for an investigation into top Justice Department official Ed Martin over his stated plans to "shame" political opponents of President Donald Trump who he's unable to charge criminally, as well as a host of other politically charged matters Martin has publicly pledged to pursue in his new position. "I write to express my grave concern about Ed Martin's stated intention to abuse his new roles as lead of the so-called 'Weaponization Working Group' you constituted at the Department of Justice (DOJ) and as DOJ's Pardon Attorney," Sen. Dick Durbin, the ranking member of the Judiciary Committee, said in a letter transmitted to the Justice Department, which was first obtained by ABC News. "Following his disgraceful tenure as Interim U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, Mr. Martin apparently plans to continue his misconduct in his new roles at DOJ." The DOJ did not immediately respond to an ABC News request for comment on the letter. MORE: Ed Martin, Trump's DOJ pardon attorney, says he'll review Biden's outgoing pardons Martin's controversial tenure as the interim U.S. Attorney for Washington, D.C., in the opening months of Trump's presidency thrust the office into turmoil and led several Senate Republicans to state publicly they wouldn't support his permanent confirmation in the role. But once the White House announced they were pulling Martin's nomination, Trump said Martin would instead be appointed to several top positions working out of DOJ's main headquarters -- serving as an associate deputy attorney general, the U.S. pardon attorney and director of the so-called "Weaponization Working Group." Martin celebrated the news on his X account, posting 'Eagle Unleashed,' and in various interviews celebrated what he described as a mandate from Trump directly to target the alleged 'weaponization' of the department under the Biden administration. 'It's classic Donald Trump, right? That somebody tries to block him and block his pick, and he decides to double down,' Martin told Breitbart News last month. 'This is probably the greatest job I could ever envision.' MORE: Trump US attorney nominee distances himself from antisemitic Jan. 6 rioter he once praised In a news conference announcing his departure from the D.C. U.S. Attorney's Office, Martin confirmed he planned to launch a probe of last-minute pardons issued by former President Joe Biden just before he left office -- and suggested that officials he's unable to charge would instead be publicly "shamed." "There are some really bad actors, some people that did some really bad things to the American people," Martin said. "And if they can be charged, we'll charge them. But if they can't be charged, we will name them ... And in a culture that respects shame, they should be people that are shamed. And that's a fact. That's the way things work. And so that's how I believe the job operates." The approach would directly conflict with longstanding DOJ policy that prohibits prosecutors from naming or disparaging individuals who they don't intend to charge criminally. When asked about that policy by ABC News during the news conference, Martin said he would "have to look at what the provision you're referring to, to see -- we want to square ourselves with doing the things correctly." The letter from Senate Democrats said Martin's statements "are a brazen admission that Mr. Martin plans to systematically violate the Justice Manual's prohibition on extrajudicial statements by shaming uncharged parties for nakedly partisan reasons. Weaponizing DOJ in this manner will further undermine the public's trust in the department in irreparable ways." MORE: Bondi, as new AG, launches 'Weaponization Working Group' to review officials who investigated Trump In his early days as pardon attorney, Martin said he advised the president in his pardon of former Virginia county sheriff Scott Jenkins, who had been sentenced to ten years in prison for a federal bribery conviction. "No MAGA left behind," Martin posted on X in response to the pardon. Durbin's letter further cited reports Martin has "personally advocated" fast-tracking pardons for members of the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers who were convicted of seditious conspiracy stemming from their roles leading up to the attack on the Capitol, after President Trump initially opted to commute their sentences in his sweeping clemency action for the nearly 1600 individuals charged in connection with Jan. 6. Durbin's letter requests Bondi provide a host of records related to Martin's appointment and early days as head of the Weaponization Working Group and Pardon Attorney's Office. It's unclear whether DOJ will ultimately respond to Durbin's demands given Democrats' minority position on the committee. Senate Democrats demand probe of Ed Martin's pledge to 'shame' Trump's opponents, other actions at DOJ originally appeared on