WASHINGTON— U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), a member of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee, on Tuesday joined Democratic members of Congress outside the U.S. Treasury Department to call out Elon Musk’s alleged illegal takeover of the Treasury’s payment systems. Murphy blasted Musk for conspiring with Donald Trump and his billionaire cronies to hijack the federal government for the ultra-rich—putting Social Security, tax refunds, and other essential programs millions of Americans depend on at risk.

A full transcript of his remarks can be found below:

MURPHY: “So it feels like the people of America have woken up. We are wide awake to the fraud that is being perpetuated on this country inside this building, and we are not going to stand for it. And I don't know about you, but I think the United States Senate shouldn’t vote for a single nominee that’s going to participate in this fraud. 

“When we open up the Senate every single morning, we don’t pledge allegiance to the billionaires. We don't pledge allegiance to Elon Musk. We don't pledge allegiance to the creepy twenty-two-year-olds working for Elon Musk. We pledge allegiance to the United States of America. I want to make sure that my mother gets her Social Security check, not because she pledges allegiance to Elon, but because she pledges allegiance to the United States of America. I want to make sure your neighbor gets their tax refund, not because they pledge allegiance to the billionaire class, but because they pledge allegiance to the United States of America. 

“And so we have work to do right now. Every single one of us has a responsibility to stand up to this fraud. And it is true, we have to reach out to everyone in this country –conservatives, liberals, Republicans, Democrats – and tell them that we have not months, we have not weeks, but we have days to stop the destruction of our democracy. We have work to do. 

“And so we will fight. We will fight with you to make sure that in this country, it is the people that rule. It is the people that rule, not the billionaires. We are taking back this country from Elon Musk. Thank you, everybody.”

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