Senator Andy Kim Alleges All Senate Phones Are Offline Amid Growing Friction With Elon Musk

The office of the first senator of Korean descent to serve on Capitol Hill, Andy Kim (D-NJ), claimed on X that phones throughout the Senate are offline while friction continues to grow with changes made by President Donald Trump’s ally, Elon Musk. 

On the social media app, Kim’s office alleged that the phones weren’t working on Feb. 3, seemingly stopping concerned Americans from getting in touch with elected officials. “We’re receiving reports of phones being offline across the Senate. Our office is immediately at work to address the issue and get our phones online again,” the post read. 

The issue comes just days after tensions have escalated due to Musk calling for the the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to be dismantled. Staffers were told to stay out of the agency’s headquarters and officers were posted to block lawmakers from entering the lobby. While Trump hasn’t made an official statement of the move, the tech billionaire claims he is in agreement. Kim was one of many senators that tried to get to the bottom of the situation. 

After wanting to meet with the agency’s acting administrator, Jason Gray, Kim was greeted by four guards, alerting him that the meeting would no longer be taking place, according to NOTUS. The newly elected lawmaker said he wasn’t too taken back by what happened. “It wasn’t what I was hoping for, but frankly, it was what I expected,” Kim said. 

“What I’m worried about is it’s like the tip of the iceberg we can see, but what else is happening?” 

The post from Kim’s office garnered some similar reactions, placing the blame on Musk directly. “E Lawn is out of control,” @mstrixierva wrote. 

Another user said no phones is a way of being “muzzled.” “That’s why calls to our reps aren’t getting through! We are being muzzled!!,” @maggietcat said. 

Rep. @IlhanMN Omar (D-MN) stood in solidarity with Kim and other Democratic leaders, pushing back on the USAID moves, saying, “This is what the beginning of dictatorship looks like.”

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