Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk – who is also one of President Donald Trump's top advisors — is reportedly hoping for a federal government shutdown, according to several Republicans.
WIRED reported Tuesday that four unnamed GOP sources given anonymity to speak candidly are saying that Musk is privately hoping that a prolonged budgetary standoff in Congress will result in federal agencies shutting down, even if it's only temporary. This would put him at odds with Trump, who has expressed hope that the Congressional Republican majorities in the House and Senate can keep the government open after funding expires on March 14.
“A shutdown has been his preference,” one GOP source told WIRED, in reference to the tech billionaire. “I think he’s boxed in there by the president. I think it would be really hard for him to get around that.”
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A second unnamed Republican said Musk — who unofficially leads the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) — viewed a temporary shutdown as an extension of his goal to lay off hundreds of thousands of federal workers. And a third confided to WIRED that the South African centibillionaire's goals are more political than financial.
"You know none of this is about saving money, right?” the source said. “It’s all about destroying a liberal power base.”
If the government were to shut down, it would mean all "non-essential" federal workers would be sent home, while essential workers — like air traffic controllers, food safety inspectors, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents, among others — would continue to work without pay. The last government shutdown happened during Trump's first term, and lasted several weeks between the end of 2018 and the beginning of 2019.
Republicans have been attempting to pass a "continuing resolution," or CR, which would keep the government funded at current levels through September 30, though it would slash federal agency budgets by $13 billion while giving the Department of Defense another $6 billion. It would need 60 Senate votes to make it to Trump's desk, meaning seven Democrats would have to join all 53 Republicans to keep the government open. Senate Democrats have so far remained quiet about how they plan to vote.
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