Technology
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Technology
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Musk divides GOP, seen by some as liability |
Republicans on Capitol Hill are divided over tech billionaire Elon Musk being the public face of President Trump’s aggressive bid to shrink the government, with some souring on Musk’s prominent role. |
Several GOP senators worry that having an unelected billionaire crow about slashing federal jobs, which happen to employ a lot of people in their home states, is not a good look when inflation remains a major problem and many Americans are having trouble making ends meet.
Some Republicans, such as Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.), have defended having the political outsider take the lead in reforming federal agencies. But other GOP colleagues are grumbling that the execution has been “flawed,” as Musk has shuttered agencies and pressured workers to resign. One GOP senator said Musk’s buyout effort offering more than seven months of severance was “poorly executed,” and his latest attempt to slim federal agencies by pushing a reduction in force has failed to consider how it might impact federal agencies. “I think they’re just looking to reduce numbers — it’s not efficiency, it’s not output. It’s, ‘We just need bodies gone.’ And I don’t know that’s the metric that you use,” the senator said.
The GOP senator also reacted angrily to Musk’s call for a “wave of judicial impeachments” in response to federal judges putting holds on Trump’s executive orders and actions. “Wrong, wrong, wrong. Get him out of the White House. Get him out, the sooner the better,” the senator added. “Every day that he’s there, he seems more destructive.”
Polls show Musk is highly unpopular with independent and moderate voters, who could be key to Republican senators winning reelection in battleground states.
An Economist/YouGov poll of 1,595 adult citizens conducted Feb. 9-11 found that surveyed independents disapproved of Musk’s handling of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) by 18 points, with 31 percent approving and 49 percent disapproving.
The survey found that self-described moderates disapproved of Musk’s leadership of DOGE by 21 points, with 33 percent approving and 54 percent disapproving.
The Hill's Alexander Bolton has more here. |
Welcome to The Hill’s Technology newsletter, we're Julia Shapero and Miranda Nazzaro — tracking the latest moves from Capitol Hill to Silicon Valley.
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How policy will be impacting the tech sector now and in the future: |
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The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has set up accounts on the social platform X for the IRS and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), seeking “insights on finding and fixing waste, fraud and abuse” at the two agencies. Elon Musk, who is leading DOGE’s efforts to cut trillions of dollars in government spending, reposted messages from both accounts Monday. The new X accounts come as the DOGE team is … |
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White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller said Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) will restore “faith and confidence” in the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Miller joined Fox News on Monday as concern spread that DOGE is seeking access to the IRS system known as the Integrated Data Retrieval System (IDRS). He was asked if Americans’ confidential, sensitive information would now be in the hands of … |
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Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) went after tech billionaire Elon Musk over a report that his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has been trying to access an IRS system. “I want to save billions of your money and make our government more efficient. Rummaging through your personal s‑‑‑ is *not* that. A party of chaos loses—always,” Fetterman said Monday in a post on the social platform X. His post featured a screenshot of … |
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Democratic activists are planning a protest campaign this week against tech billionaire and Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) head Elon Musk outside offices of lawmakers and Tesla dealerships. The campaign aims to counter the Trump administration’s efforts to gut federal health, education, and human services agencies. Led by Indivisible, a coalition of Democrats and progressives, the campaign aims to fight Musk’s … |
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Crypto complications overseas |
© Tomas Cuesta, Getty Images |
Welcome to Crypto Corner, a new feature in The Hill's Technology newsletter focused on digital currency and its outlook in Washington. |
Catch up: Argentine President Javier Milei was hit with fraud complaints for his promotion of a cryptocurrency over the weekend, The Associated Press Monday.
Milei posted on X about $LIBRA, a coin he described as “encouraging economic growth by funding small businesses and startups,” last Friday. Hours later, he deleted the post, and the value of the crypto coin collapsed. Those who briefly invested lost millions of dollars, according to the AP, and the president’s office maintained that Milei was not involved in any stage of the coin’s development.
And some opposition members in Congress said they are looking into proceedings to impeach Milei, .
Why it matters: The fallout from Milei’s brief support for a crypto coin is the latest example of the complications we could see political leaders — both in and out of the U.S. — face as they become more involved with the industry. President Trump, who has drawn comparisons in the past to Milei, has embraced cryptocurrency in his second administration, stoking excitement in the industry. Remember: While the industry largely welcomes Trump’s crypto approach, some expressed concerns last month about how exactly he can play a role in promoting it.
Days before his inauguration, Trump and first lady Melania Trump launched two cryptocurrency tokens, known as meme coins, spurring concerns that it could cast a negative light on his efforts to boost crypto.
The big picture: The crypto industry is still trying to walk a fine line to maintain its credibility in Washington after various scandals roiled its reputation in recent years.
While support from public leaders is celebrated by the crypto industry, it also opens the door to questions about how political figures can promote digital currencies while under such a tight microscope. |
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News we've flagged from the intersection of tech and other topics: |
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Mexico awaits new response from Google before suing over "Gulf of America" name change (The Associated Press)
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South Korea suspends new downloads of DeepSeek (Reuters)
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Branch out with other reads on The Hill: |
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Links to Signal messaging platform not working on X |
Users on Elon Musk’s social media platform X were not able to share or post links to the encrypted messaging app Signal on Monday and were greeted with various failure notifications when they tried to do so. Beginning Sunday, multiple users posted on X that they received error messages when they tried to post any links with the “Signal.me” domain, which is typically used to share one’s Signal profile … |
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chair Brendan Carr took a jab at Sheryl Crow over the weekend after the singer announced she is selling her Tesla and donating the funds to NPR amid President Trump and Elon Musk’s campaign to slash federal funding, including for public broadcasters. “I know celebrities are hesitant to weigh in on hot button issues, so I appreciate Sheryl Crow making an argument here — not … |
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Two key stories on The Hill right now: |
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Tech billionaire Elon Musk signaled Monday that he will be looking into Fort Knox, where the United States has a massive and heavily secured gold reserve. … Read more |
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The showdown between House and Senate Republicans is escalating as the two groups barrel ahead with their contrasting strategies to pass President … Read more |
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Opinions related to tech submitted to The Hill: |
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You're all caught up. See you tomorrow! |
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