CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — Chattanooga protesters gathered along Germantown Road Thursday evening, demanding accountability for the federal actions of Elon Musk and DOGE.
Organizers of the protest, Democracy in Action, say they have 3 primary demands:
Stop Elon Musk from accessing personal data and classified information.Stop firing federal employees and withholding funds.Ask constituents to host an in person town hall to address community concerns.
Democracy in Action says the actions of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) are “not only overreach, but unconstitutional.”
Protesters started gathering at the Brainerd Road/ Germantown Road intersection at 5 p.m.
One of the protesters, Andrew Morgan, says…
“We’re seeing unprecedented administrative overreach in our government. We’re not feeling that we’re being represented by our congressmen or our senators.”
Morgan says state representatives should stand up for the public.
“They’re mostly ignoring our calls for a town hall. And we want to bring visibility to our demands. We want Elon Musk to face some sort of accountability.”
DOGE’s second batch of data listings say these federal cuts are necessary. They says it has saved the U.S. a total of $65 billion.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt says Musk has been working hand in hand with government officials.
“Elon is working with the Cabinet Secretaries and their staff every single day to identify waste and fraud and abuse at these respective agencies.”
Rep. Greene said during a DOGE subcommittee meeting that “federal employees do not deserve their jobs. Federal employees do not deserve their paychecks, and these are jobs that can be fired at will.”
Despite this, protesters say DOGE’s budget cuts are too concerning to ignore.
“We need Republicans. We need Libertarians. We need Independents. What’s going on in our nation should be concerning to every American, not just one particular party.”
Several protest signed called on Congressman Chuck Fleischmann to lead a townhall and listen to public input on DOGE.
We reached out to his office for comment, but have yet to hear back.
See more photos in our gallery above.