Rogers enthusiastically celebrated Elon Musk’s devastating DOGE cuts. He then asked Michiganders to “protect Elon” Musk “and save America” through contributions to his Senate campaign.
Musk returned the favor and contributed more than $1 million to Rogers’ re-run Senate campaign.
Rogers Repeatedly Praised Elon Musk’s DOGE Cuts; DOGE Violated 1.8 Million Michigan Seniors’ Banking Privacy And Jeopardized Nearly Half A Million Michigan VA Jobs. According to Meidas Touch News, “At recent campaign stops, Michigan Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers praised the work of Elon Musk’s DOGE, taking an axe to federal funding and laying off hundreds of thousands of federal workers, saying that he ‘loved it,’ and advised making them permanent, using technology to replace fired workers. [...]DOGE cuts to the Social Security Administration harmed more than 1.8 million seniors in Michigan. DOGE jeopardized the distribution of social security checks, and risked the leaking of personal banking information for more than 99% of Michigan’s beneficiaries. DOGE cuts decimated staffing at the SSA when staffing was already at historic lows. Staff reported more burnout, working longer hours, and skipping breaks to finish paperwork. DOGE threatened more than 435,000 veterans in Michigan by cutting staff and contracts at the Department of Veterans Affairs. Michigan has the 13th largest population of veterans in the nation with more than 435,000 veterans making up 5.4% of the state’s population.” [Meidas Touch News, 5/15/26]
Rogers Claimed Michiganders Were “Directly Shielding Elon Musk” Through Donations To Rogers’ Senate Campaign And Asked For An “Immediate, Urgent Contribution Right Now To Protect Elon And Save America.” According to the Detroit Metro Times, “Rogers has found a new reason for Michiganders to open their wallets: He wants them to help protect Elon Musk from congressional accountability. In a fundraising appeal sent Saturday, Rogers warned supporters that Democrats would use control of the Senate to subpoena Musk over his role in the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, which carried out sweeping cuts across the federal government. ‘When you stand with my Senate campaign today, you are directly shielding Elon Musk,’ Rogers wrote. He then asked for an ‘immediate, urgent contribution right now to protect Elon and save America.’” [Detroit Metro Times, 7/22/26]
Rogers Explicitly Asked Michigan Voters To Help Him Build A Congressional “Firewall” Around Musk And Shield One Of The Most Powerful Men In The World From Accountability. According to the Detroit Metro Times, “In Rogers’ latest pitch, he’s not just promising to support Trump’s agenda or defend Republican control of the Senate. He’s explicitly asking Michigan voters to help build a congressional “firewall” around Musk, insulating one of the most powerful men in the world from having to publicly answer for what he did with that power.” [Detroit Metro Times, 7/22/26]
Rogers Repeatedly Praised The DOGE Cuts And Defended Elon Musk’s Vast Cuts To The Federal Government. According to the Detroit Metro Times, “Rogers hasn’t just defended the draconian cuts. He has bragged about advising DOGE. At an April campaign event in Saginaw County, Rogers said he had spoken with DOGE officials early in the process and told them he ‘love[d]’ the cuts. His complaint was that the reductions wouldn’t last unless Congress made them permanent. ‘I tried to talk to them earlier, and I kept saying, you’re going to cut it, and that’s great, and I love it,’ Rogers said. ‘But if you don’t legislate that they can’t grow after this, then we’re going to be right back in the same boat.’ He added, ‘I can’t wait to get my hands around that budget, then I’d start trimming it down as fast as we possibly can.’ A Metro Times review of Rogers’ campaign remarks also found that he said in March that he had advised DOGE to permanently limit federal staffing and replace workers with technology. In February, he pledged to “protect” Trump’s reduction of the federal workforce if elected.” [Detroit Metro Times, 7/22/26]
Musk’s America PAC Spent An Initial $25,000 To Boost Rogers’ Senate Bid. According to the Maine Morning Star, “The August disclosures reveal what are expected to be the first in a series of donations from Musk, the world’s richest person, who has reportedly authorized his super PAC to spend $100 million to $120 million to help elect Republicans in November, two unnamed sources told the New York Times this summer. [...] Texas’ Senate race between Republican Ken Paxton and Democrat James Talarico received the most money from Musk’s PAC, around $248,000, followed by Ohio ($105,675), New Hampshire ($91,458.50), Iowa ($54,600), Michigan ($25,605) and Alaska ($17,235).” [Maine Morning Star, 9/3/26]
Elon Musk’s America PAC Then Spent More Than $1 Million On Digital Ads And Mailers To Boost Rogers’ Re-Run Senate Bid. According to The Detroit News, “Elon Musk's America PAC is jumping into the battle for Michigan's open U.S. Senate seat, spending over $1 million in the last week on digital ads and mailers that boost Republican Mike Rogers and attack Democrat Abdul El-Sayed. The spending by the outside group in Michigan is part of America PAC's first wave of spending in the fall 2026 midterm elections, in which the tech mogul Musk reportedly intends to spend $100 million or more.” [Detroit News, 9/9/26]