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Hey, it's Jen. Just a quick heads up before we start the show. The news is rapidly developing

and things may have changed by the time you hear this episode. For the very latest news,

tune in to your public radio station and follow updates at npr.org.

Anger is growing over moves by the Trump administration, especially those driven by

Elon Musk and Doge, the so-called Department of Government Efficiency. In recent days,

federal judges have halted a number of these actions, including preventing Doge associates

from accessing sensitive Treasury Department data. But in the meantime, here's a question a lot of

people have. Where's Congress? Only lawmakers collectively have the power to set and control federal spending.

So why aren't they doing more to stand up against the shuddering of USAID or unelected people

gaining access to U.S. Treasury payment systems or targeting the Consumer Financial Protection

Bureau or choking off the federal government's critical role in scientific research.

Some lawmakers are trying to raise the alarm.

We spoke with Democratic Representative Jared Hoffman of California last week,

who made this dire declaration.

I think we've got a matter of months to figure out whether our Democratic Republic is going to hold.

This is not a drill.

The sideboards are being tested in ways we've never seen.

And I hope that some combination of the courts and our Democratic minority in Congress,

especially if we can leverage a few Republicans to work with us, can keep this thing together.

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