Musk’s DOGE Takes Purpose at California Excessive-Velocity Rail and Something Else That Is not Nailed Down

As DOGE, Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy’s “Division of Authorities Effectivity” will get underway, the 2 billionaires are on the lookout for federal packages and companies to chop, as they search to advance Musk’s espoused objective of trimming $2 trillion from the federal finances. Whereas critics have famous that this objective is—like a lot of Musk’s rhetoric—hyperbolic to the purpose of being not possible, that hasn’t stopped the duo from loudly proclaiming a rising record of targets, in an effort to encourage worry and make it appear like they’re doing one thing.

One among their just lately espoused targets is California’s long-suffering high-speed rail project. A federally funded effort that Musk has beforehand taken pictures at, the rail venture was initially permitted by voters throughout a poll initiative in 2008. Since then, billions of {dollars} have been spent and fewer than 1 / 4 of the proposed rail line has been constructed. The venture is partially funded by federal grants, although Trump—throughout his first time period—temporarily put an end to that. When Biden got here into workplace, he turned the funding spigot back on. Now, presumably, it will likely be turned off once more.

It’s beforehand been reported that Musk promoted the Hyperloop, a futuristic underground shuttle, so as to trigger issues for California’s rail venture. Musk talked lots concerning the Hyperloop for years however by no means meant on constructing it. It was a method of diversion that the automotive magnate reportedly hoped may make “the general public and legislators rethink” their funding within the practice system. You already know, as a result of he’s within the enterprise of promoting vehicles. Final week, Ramaswamy equally took intention on the venture in a post on Musk’s platform, X, calling the rail “a wasteful vainness venture” that had wasted “billions in taxpayer money, with little prospect for completion within the subsequent decade.” He added: “President Trump appropriately rescinded ~$1BN in federal funds for this boondoggle in 2019, however Biden reversed that & doubled down. Time to finish the waste.”

Ramaswamy’s feedback got here not lengthy earlier than he and Musk descended on Capitol Hill to satisfy with lawmakers and focus on their upcoming plans. The 2 billionaires appeared in D.C. on Thursday for a closed-door session with Republicans, throughout which they reportedly discussed how DOGE would “revive the precept of restricted authorities.” Throughout that assembly, which concerned the brand new Senate Republican chief John Thune, potential targets for funding cuts have been mentioned, which apparently included obligatory spending packages like Social Security and Medicare. Certainly, NBC stories that Thune expressed to a journalist that “maybe obligatory packages are areas that they’re seeking to make cuts in, like Social Safety, for instance.” The information comes after a concerted push by some Republican leaders to demonize these packages.

One other goal that Musk mentioned was federal subsidies for electrical automobiles. In what appears to have been a fairly brazen effort to push a coverage that will doubtlessly profit his personal EV firm Tesla, Musk reportedly told a journalist that he thought the federal government “ought to do away with all credit.” In July, Musk equally steered taking away federal subsidies for EV firms, posting on X: “Take away the subsidies. It’ll solely assist Tesla.” He added: “Additionally, take away subsidies from all industries!”

The entire purpose that Musk is within the place that he’s at the moment in is that he used his immense wealth to assist get Trump elected, and new data additionally got here to gentle Friday on simply how a lot cash Musk had spent in that regard. An evaluation of just lately launched Federal Election Fee filings discovered that the tech magnate had spent over a quarter of a billion dollars—or roughly $277 million—in his effort to get Trump again within the White Home. The Washington Submit has famous that Musk in all probability spent greater than that, for the reason that “entirety of Musk’s donations this election cycle” might not “be mirrored in publicly out there paperwork.”

Whereas a lot of Musk’s monetary contributions went in direction of America PAC, the political motion committee he created, he additionally donated a big quantity to lesser-known teams, together with a little-known PAC designed to persuade Individuals that Trump didn’t need to take away their abortion rights. That PAC, named “RBG” after Ruth Bader Ginsberg, acquired as a lot as $20 million from Musk, the New York Occasions has reported.

Musk has additionally made it recognized that he plans to make use of a lot of the infrastructure that was constructed in the course of the marketing campaign to proceed pushing his political agenda in D.C. He has mentioned he desires to keep America PAC active, with plans to make use of it throughout, in addition to to doubtlessly use it to oust liberal district attorneys across the country. Musk additionally apparently plans to continue using X (formerly Twitter) to broadcast his and Trump’s agenda to the general public.