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Musk's cost-cutting DOGE lays off workers at agency that oversees Tesla Inc.
San Antonio Express News ^ | 02/22/2025 | By Staff and Wire Reports

Posted on 02/23/2025 1:38:19 PM PST by Responsibility2nd

Elon Musk’s cost-cutting team is eliminating jobs at the vehicle safety agency that oversees his Tesla Inc., regulates the autonomous vehicles he says represents its future and has launched investigations into deadly crashes involving the Texas-based company’s cars.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has cut a “modest” amount of positions at the agency, which is tasked with ensuring safety on U.S. roads, it said in a statement Saturday.

The loss of three of the seven members of the specialized unit overseeing autonomous vehicles is part of a 10% overall workforce reduction at the agency enacted by Musk’s advisory group on shrinking the federal government, the Department of Government Efficiency.

The losses touch on many aspects of the safety administration’s work, the Washington Post reported: an engineer who worked with crash test dummies, employees who work with states on safety grant funding and a research psychologist focused on drunken driving and speeding.

The Tesla CEO has accused the agency of holding back progress on self-driving technology with its investigations into crashes and recalls of vehicles.

Asked whether the cuts would impact any probes into Tesla, the agency referred to its statement, which says it will “enforce the law on all manufacturers of motor vehicles and equipment.” On Friday, Tesla recalled more than 375,000 vehicles due to a power steering issue. The safety administration said a circuit board may become overstressed, causing a loss of steering assist after a stop.

In addition to investigations into Tesla’s partially automated vehicles, the agency has mandated that Tesla and other automakers using self-driving technology report crash data on vehicles, a requirement that Tesla has criticized and that watchdogs fear could be eliminated by the Trump administration.

The staff reductions at the agency have come through a combination of firings, buyouts and layoffs. It noted in its statement that the Biden administration had expanded its payroll, suggesting the smaller staff was sufficient to carry out its mission.

“Even with these modest efficiencies, NHTSA is still considerably larger today than it was four years ago,” the statement said. “We have retained positions critical to the mission of saving lives, preventing injuries, and reducing economic costs due to road traffic crashes.”

Tesla is based in Austin, where it operates a factory that builds the company’s Cybertruck, Model Y and is developing battery technology.


TOPICS: Conspiracy; Miscellaneous
KEYWORDS: doge; musk; tesla
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To: Salvavida

It falls under interstate commerce, and we want it that way. This is one of the few things States shouldn’t regulate.

Rest of the country is already forced to put up with CA’s Emission BS and whatever else they mandate. Every manufacturer just makes cars that meets CA’s stupid standards, and it raises the price on thm all.


21 posted on 02/23/2025 2:20:58 PM PST by SPDSHDW (Execute Order 66....)
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To: asinclair

Interstate Commerce clause. In tandem with State regulation. The States are >>> Which clause directs the regulation of personal automobiles used to exercise the right to travel. Not doing any commerce in the car.


22 posted on 02/23/2025 2:22:44 PM PST by kvanbrunt2
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To: Responsibility2nd

The absolute corruption and dishonesty in the media in this country is astounding.


23 posted on 02/23/2025 2:25:52 PM PST by falcon99 ( )
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To: Responsibility2nd

Are the fools who wrote this article so dimwitted that they think TESLA is the only auto manufacturer that the NHTSA oversees? Or that just because they also oversee TESLA there is no waste…..no wait they should get a pass from DOGE just so it doesn’t look like Musk ha sa ulterior motive. Yeah that’s the ticket😒


24 posted on 02/23/2025 2:32:26 PM PST by Mastador1
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To: asinclair

Musk is not making these cuts. The president is in collaboration with the agency director.


25 posted on 02/23/2025 2:39:35 PM PST by AndyJackson
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To: bigbob

👍


26 posted on 02/23/2025 3:56:34 PM PST by MotorCityBuck (Keep the change, you are filthy animal! )
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To: SPDSHDW

I get your point. Reviewing the SCOTUS cases, the early cases were constrained to “commerce” and only later did they shift to “regulate.’ That clause has grown legs beyond the scope of what it originally meant.

“Whatever amounts to more or less constant practice, and threatens to obstruct or unduly to burden the freedom of interstate commerce is within the regulatory power of Congress under the commerce clause, and it is primarily for Congress to consider and decide the fact of the danger to meet it.”

- Chief Justice Taft, in the Olsen case.

That should have smashed California’s emission standards for out of state conveyance. The morality issue tied to the policing of evil in previous interpretations, didn’t stop pornography.


27 posted on 02/23/2025 4:14:29 PM PST by Salvavida (NS)
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To: Salvavida

“What clause in the US Constitution makes this a federal issue?}

That would be the Interstate Commerce clause.

L


28 posted on 02/23/2025 4:16:37 PM PST by Lurker ( Peaceful coexistence with the Left is not possible. Stop pretending that it is.)
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To: power2

Now they are. The pushback from his email is proof of that. Tomorrow night when he doesn’t have any emails from workers, I wonder what he’ll do.


29 posted on 02/23/2025 5:49:24 PM PST by napscoordinator (DeSantis is a beast! Florida is the freest state in the country! )
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To: Responsibility2nd
The Federal government hired huge numbers of employees as a way to cover the unemployment mess caused by their poor policies; and to build voter support.

Democrats have been doing this for years at all levels of government.
DOGE is threatening the backbone of the Democrat party.

The next step should be to reverse Presidents Kennedy's executive order creating the government unions. Civil Service protections are adequate.

30 posted on 02/24/2025 1:39:14 PM PST by oldbrowser ( )
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To: Responsibility2nd

They’re trying to indicate corruption on Musk’s part. Ain’t gonna fly.


31 posted on 02/25/2025 8:01:26 AM PST by JimRed (TERM LIMITS, NOW! Finish the damned WALL! TRUTH is the new HATE SPEECH! )
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