

It puts them in the tough spot of declaring Doge essential. That gives a huge opening for the Democrats to attack, when 80% of the government is shut down, that there is meaningful fraud in what Trump kept open. It’s also going to be hard to get someone to come in to unlock things when they aren’t getting paid. Even essential employees don’t get paid in a shutdown, they get back pay after like everyone else when Congress approves it.
The secret service protects the president, not musk. If a motorcade of Marshalls showed up at the Whitehouse, it would be in their interest to give him up.