Tesla boss Elon Musk has been running something called the Department of Government Efficiency since President Donald Trump was sworn in for his second stint as commander-in-chief.
DOGE, which is a quasi-government agency — it was created by executive order and it’s not clear that a president can do so legally, but let’s leave that aside for now — is supposed to root out waste and fraud in the federal government.
It would be an understatement that DOGE has proven unpopular with regular citizens and federal workers across the political spectrum, mostly because Musk and his staff have made massive cuts quickly, with little oversight or consideration for how mission critical certain roles are. Instead of carefully planning job cuts in a way that wouldn’t undercut the government’s mission and would minimize job losses, DOGE has slashed jobs indiscriminately and possibly illegally.
Oh, and there may be conflicts of interest at play, given how many government contracts have been awarded to Musk’s companies — and how federal regulations affect his businesses.
This had led to a lot of pushback.
Reports suggest DOGE is also not saving the government money and may end up actually costing it — and taxpayers — more money than it might save.
That’s all background for why Tesla showrooms have been inundated with protests.
My question is — will protests against Tesla cause Musk and Trump to reevaluate how to run DOGE? Or are there better ways for those opposed to DOGE’s methods heard?
Please play nice as you answer, this is a divisive topic. But it’s perhaps the first time ever that a car-company CEO was so intertwined with a presidential administration — and performing actions that are proving to be deeply unpopular with people across the political spectrum. Since we may never see a situation again where a car-company boss is being protested for his direct involvement with a presidential administration, I figured I’d have to ask you guys if you think Musk will be swayed by consumers hitting his wallet.
Personally, I have no idea. We’re in a period of unpredictability, and I am just going to follow the news as it comes. We’ll report on it when it fits our purview.
Anyway, you know what to do.
Sound off below.
[Image: Chris Allan/Shutterstock.com]
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