1. United States
2. Mich.
3. Letter

The unilateral actions of Elon Musk in shutting down the federal government and exerting undue influence over the budget process are a dangerous subversion of democracy. By rejecting the duly negotiated continuing resolution, forcing a government shutdown based on misinformation and his own personal whims, Musk has overstepped the bounds of acceptable private sector involvement. His utter lack of understanding of the carefully balanced compromises in the legislation and the severe consequences of a shutdown demonstrate he is unfit to dictate policy decisions. I urge you to take immediate action to restore democratic norms, reopen the government through the ordinary legislative process based on facts, and prevent the further consolidation of power by wealthy individuals unchecked by institutional constraints. The integrity of our system of government is at stake.