Reps. Maxine Waters, Maxwell Frost, Gwen Moore, and other members of Congress confronted a federal employee who blocked them from entering the DOE headquarters in Washington, D.C.
Democratic members of Congress were left astounded and incensed on Friday after they were denied entry at the Department of Education headquarters in Washington, D.C. The group was attempting to schedule a meeting with its acting secretary about President Donald Trump‘s plans to shutter the 45-year-old agency.
It was a dramatic scene outside the Education Department’s front entrance as a federal employee identifying himself as “security” faced questions and outrage from Democratic Reps. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., Maxwell Frost, D-Fla., Jahana Hayes, D-Conn., Lateefah Simon, D-Calif., Greg Casar, D-Texas, and others.
“Get out of the way! … We pay you!” demanded Congresswoman Waters as she and Democrats were being blocked from entry as armed security and Department of Homeland Security officers stood just feet away behind the doors.
“Nobody is accepting a meeting,” said the employee, who was later identified by Congresswoman Waters as Jim Hairfield. According to the department’s website, Hairfield serves as deputy assistant secretary at the Office of Security, Facilities, and Logistics Services.
Congressman Frost, the youngest member of Congress, noted he walked through the front entrance — which had “all access entrance” emblazoned on its doors — “multiple times” last year during the Biden administration. “We were at least able to walk to that lobby,” he explained.
“We’re trying to save your job! You won’t have a job if we don’t help you! You won’t have any place to send your kids,” exclaimed Congresswoman Waters.
The confrontation outside the Education Department building came just days after reports indicated that President Trump would soon sign an executive order essentially defunding the DOE, a 2024 campaign promise. In protest of the anticipated order and the outsized power and influence of Trump’s billionaire advisor, Elon Musk (including accessing sensitive private data), House Democrats held a press conference just outside of the headquarters.
“So this is the beginning of full transparency at this administration. The administration that talked about they’re going to open the door … and show the American public what’s going on,” said Congresswoman Hayes. “They won’t even open the door to members of Congress.”
House Democrats pointed out that, as elected members of the United States Congress, they have oversight authority over federal agencies. But despite their attempts, they were not allowed in the building.
The Friday confrontation was part of a series of demonstrations by Democrats this week in resistance to what they say is an overreach of executive authority by the Trump administration. On Tuesday, Democrats joined hundreds of protesters outside the Department of Treasury in opposition to a “takeover” by the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, a White House task force led by Musk. Tech staffers working for Musk were able to gain access to the agency’s payment systems despite not being actual federal employees.
On Wednesday, Democrats also joined protesters in calling out the administration’s shuttering of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), which provides critical aid around the world to prevent hunger, provide health care, and ultimately provide global stability. On Friday, a federal judge temporarily paused Trump’s plan to eliminate thousands of USAID jobs. The lawsuit challenging the president’s order (and led by Musk) argued that he “exceeded” his presidential authority.
The Trump administration is facing dozens of lawsuits, many of which have already temporarily blocked some of its actions to downsize and completely transform the federal government. These include offering buyouts to tens of thousands of federal employees, ending the constitutional right to birthright citizenship, and freezing trillions in federal funding already authorized by Congress.
“What Trump did over the last few weeks, with the help of Elon Musk — apparently his co-president — and his Republican allies, is he united his opposition,” Democratic strategist Joel Payne told theGrio. “The threat that Trump and Musk and Republicans are posing is so apparent … they overreached.”
Despite initial criticisms expressed by political operatives and pundits about Democrats’ ability to push back against Trump’s actions, Payne said party members are “learning in this era how to break through and actually come up with a collective way to raise their voices and to create effective pressure.”
The Democratic strategist said that instead of achieving his policy goals legislatively, which is “slower” but could “build popular support.”
“He’s choosing not to because that’s not his theory on showing up as a public official … he is someone who has never liked to govern,” said Payne. “He likes to break things. So does Elon Musk, that’s why they get along. They like to break things, but they don’t know how to build things.”
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