As Elon Musk and the White House’s DOGE operation continue to dismantle incrementally parts of the federal government, targeting spending and firing government workers, the developments have not gone unnoticed among congressional Republicans. Some of them, evidently, have a few concerns.

Axios reported, for example, that some GOP lawmakers, recognizing the impact of the DOGE agenda on their states, districts and constituents, are “growing unnerved” by the tactics. The Washington Post published a related report, describing a truly ridiculous governing dynamic with no real precedent in the American tradition: “Republican senators find themselves in an unusual position these days: begging Trump officials to release funds they themselves appropriated.”

The Post’s report added that in recent days, senators from the president’s own party have been reduced to making their case to administration officials, “trying to finagle exceptions to President Donald Trump’s sweeping executive orders or cuts made by billionaire Elon Musk’s U.S. DOGE Service that freeze hundreds of billions of dollars, including money for farmers and infrastructure projects.”

It was against this backdrop that Politico highlighted an especially unfortunate comment from a longtime senator who really should know better.

Senate Judiciary Chair Chuck Grassley said Congress is powerless in the face of cuts from Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency. ‘Congress can’t do anything except complain’ about the slashing of the federal government at the hands of Musk and his allies, Grassley said during a press call on Tuesday, according to a report from RadioIowa.

For those unfamiliar with the Iowa Republican’s career, Grassley, who’ll turn 92 in September, began his Senate career around this time 44 years ago. He’s not only the longest-serving GOP member in the chamber, he’s literally the longest-serving Republican senator in the history of the institution.

In other words, Grassley, the president pro tempore of the Senate, has been around a long while. In that time, he’s learned quite a bit about the many powers available to members.

The question then becomes why the Iowan seems so reluctant to exercise that power.

Last week, for example, Grassley conceded that he disapproved of Trump ignoring legal restrictions related to firing inspectors general, but the senator didn’t indicate any plans to act on his concerns. This week, he reportedly added, “Congress can’t do anything except complain.”

But that’s plainly untrue. Grassley is, after all, the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, which is a powerful position. He could, at his discretion, take all sorts of steps. The senator could:

• call a hearing and demand Musk’s testimony;
• issue subpoenas to the quasi-governmental Department of Government Efficiency;
• introduce legislation limiting DOGE’s authority;
• file lawsuits;
• sign onto amicus briefs filed in courts;
• impose Senate holds until his concerns are addressed;
• vote against nominees and bills until his concerns are addressed.

This list isn’t comprehensive. It’s just a sampling of the kinds of steps Grassley and his other concerned GOP colleagues could take at any time. Complaining is certainly one option, but to see it as the only option is to overlook what members of the Senate could choose to do.

It’s not a matter of power; it’s a matter of will. As things stand, Trump, Musk and the White House are effectively treating Congress as a doormat. If elected lawmakers want that to change anytime soon, they’re going to have to abandon the fiction that “Congress can’t do anything except complain.”