February 4, 2025
Sen. Andy Kim Alleges All Senate Phones Are Offline Amid Growing Friction With Elon Musk
Well this can't be good....
The office of the first senator of Korean descent to serve on Capitol Hill, Andy Kim (D-NJ), claimed on X that phones throughout the Senate are offline as friction continues to grow with changes made by President Donald Trump’s ally, Elon Musk.
On the social media app, Kim’s office alleged that the phones weren’t working on Feb. 3, seemingly stopping concerned Americans from contacting elected officials. “We’re receiving reports of phones being offline across the Senate. Our office is immediately at work to address the issue and get our phones online again,” the post read.
The issue comes just days after tensions have escalated due to Musk’s call for dismantling the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). Staffers were told to stay out of the agency’s headquarters, and officers were posted to block lawmakers from entering the lobby. While Trump hasn’t made an official statement about the move, the tech billionaire claims he is in agreement. Kim was one of many senators that tried to get to the bottom of the situation.
After wanting to meet with the agency’s acting administrator, Jason Gray, Kim was greeted by four guards, alerting him that the meeting would no longer take place, according to NOTUS. The newly elected lawmaker said he wasn’t too taken aback by what happened. “It wasn’t what I was hoping for, but frankly, it was what I expected,” Kim said.
“What I’m worried about is it’s like the tip of the iceberg we can see, but what else is happening?”
The post from Kim’s office garnered similar reactions, with some blaming Musk directly. “E Lawn is out of control,” @mstrixierva wrote.
Another user said that no phones are a way of being “muzzled.” “That’s why calls to our reps aren’t getting through! We are being muzzled!!” @maggietcat said.
Rep. @IlhanMN Omar (D-MN) stood in solidarity with Kim and other Democratic leaders, pushing back on the USAID move, saying, “This is what the beginning of dictatorship looks like.”
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