About 30 people walked back and forth in front of the Oneida County Courthouse Wednesday afternoon.
They held signs that said things like “Eject Musk” “No Project 2025” and “Country Over Party Democracy over Autocracy”.
It was the second protest of the day for Doug Schultz. He and his wife went to one in Wausau and then stopped at the one in Rhinelander.
“Being a seven-year military veteran, I tell people I did not serve seven years in the military to at one point in my life be ruled by a dictator,” said Schultz.
While he’s concerned about a lot of policies coming out of the Trump Administration, top of his mind has been the actions of Elon Musk.
In recent days the team he leads has gained access to the Treasury Department's payment systems. A Treasury Department official says a tech executive working with DOGE will have “read-only access.”
“It's so mind boggling the amount of information that now is possibly going to be in who knows whose hands, right?” said Schultz.
Musk and the Treasury Department is also a major concern of Catherine Parker who says she has “intense alarm” about what’s going on in Washington.
She wants Congress to take action.
“I think Congress needs to do its job and resume its power of the purse and the budget and adhere to the Constitution and work for the American people who sent them there,” said Parker. “I'm talking about Republicans and Democrats. I want them to stand up and protect our country.”
Parker said while she has disagreed with the actions of past administrations, she's never felt this level of concern.
“I've never thought I'd live to see my country falling apart like this,” said Parker.
Both Parker and Schultz have also been making calls to U.S. lawmakers. Schultz says he and wife are calling Senators and members of Congress almost daily.
“If you stay silent, that is the one thing that that will bring democracy down. You got to keep strong. Keep your voices being heard, keep the messaging out there,” said Schultz.
There were other protests Wednesday in capital cities across the U.S.
WPR reports the one in Madison drew hundreds people in a march down State Street.
