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 applications and companies to chop, as they search to advance Musk’s espoused aim of trimming $2 trillion from the federal funds. Whereas critics have famous that this aim is—like a lot of Musk’s rhetoric—hyperbolic to the purpose of being unattainable, that hasn’t stopped the duo from loudly proclaiming a rising listing of targets, in an effort to encourage worry and make it seem like they’re doing one thing.

Considered one of their not too long ago espoused targets is California’s long-suffering high-speed rail project. A federally funded effort that Musk has beforehand taken pictures at, the rail challenge was initially authorized 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 challenge 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 is going to be turned off once more.

It’s beforehand been reported that Musk promoted the Hyperloop, a futuristic underground shuttle, in an effort to trigger issues for California’s rail challenge. Musk talked quite a bit concerning the Hyperloop for years however by no means meant on constructing it. It was a technique of diversion that the automotive magnate reportedly hoped may make “the general public and legislators rethink” their funding within the practice system. You recognize, as a result of he’s within the enterprise of promoting vehicles. Final week, Ramaswamy equally took goal on the challenge in a post on Musk’s platform, X, calling the rail “a wasteful vainness challenge” that had wasted “billions in taxpayer money, with little prospect for completion within the subsequent decade.” He added: “President Trump accurately rescinded ~$1BN in federal funds for this boondoggle in 2019, however Biden reversed that & doubled down.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 talk about 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 necessary spending applications like Social Security and Medicare. Certainly, NBC experiences that Thune expressed to a journalist that “maybe necessary applications are areas that they’re trying to make cuts in, like Social Safety, for instance.” The information comes after a concerted push by some Republican leaders to demonize these applications.

One other goal that Musk mentioned was federal subsidies for electrical automobiles. In what appears to have been a reasonably brazen effort to push a coverage that might 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 urged eliminating federal subsidies for EV firms, posting on X: “Take away the subsidies. It can 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 present in is that he used his immense wealth to assist get Trump elected, and new info additionally got here to gentle Friday on simply how a lot cash Musk had spent in that regard. An evaluation of not too long ago 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 most likely spent greater than that, for the reason that “entirety of Musk’s donations this election cycle” could not “be mirrored in publicly accessible 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 People 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 throughout the marketing campaign to proceed pushing his political agenda in D.C. He has stated he desires to keep America PAC active, with plans to make use of it throughout, in addition to to probably 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.