ORLANDO, Fla. – Protesters gathered Saturday in front of the Tesla dealership along John Young Parkway to decry Elon Musk and the policy changes they say he’s influenced within the government.
The protest was part of a nationwide wave of such demonstrations targeting Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
“I’m here for the people. I’m here to get this short and sweet message that I’ve got on my sign that Mr. Musk is a danger to this country, and I want the public to know that” said Charlotte Kendall, a Democrat.
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Kendall said she has been protesting for over 50 years on all topics of conversation but wants people to stop and look around at what is happening to the United States.
“Pay attention to what’s going on and make up your mind each day by thinking, ‘Is this what I wanted?’ The American People are good people, but we’ve just been misled and it’s time to wake up,” she said.
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Musk’s DOGE — created to help streamline government operations and tasked with cutting federal expenditures across the board — is causing concerns among some.
As of February, though there’s no official figure available for the total firings or layoffs, about 75,000 employees alone had accepted voluntary resignation offers under a “deferred resignation” program, the Associated Press reported.
“I want our grandchildren to be able to grow up and have the same democratic freedoms as us; Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Press. I want the seniors to continue to have their health care or their social security,” said a couple that wished to only be identified as grandparents. “We don’t want to see the veterans lose their benefits after serving our country.”
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has planned for a reorganization of its system which now includes cutting nearly 80,000 jobs. The VA is responsible for providing health care and other services for millions of veterans.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced late last month the creation of a Florida-based DOGE, speaking positively about the program.
“Florida has set the standard for fiscally conservative governance, and our new Florida DOGE task force will do even more to serve the people of Florida,” DeSantis said. “It will eliminate redundant boards and commissions, review state university and college operations and spending, utilize artificial intelligence to further examine state agencies to uncover hidden waste, and even audit the spending habits of local entities to shine the light on waste and bloat.”
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
