Technology
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Technology
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Musk-funding primary threats scare GOP senators
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GOP senators are terrified over the prospect of facing primary challengers funded by Elon Musk if they stick their necks out by opposing President Trump’s agenda.
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© Alex Brandon, Associated Press File
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The White House has signaled that Republicans who thwart Trump’s agenda by voting against his controversial nominees or opposing efforts by Musk to freeze government funding and slash federal agencies, such as the U.S. Agency for International Development, will pay a political price.
And that’s a threat that carries a lot more weight when Musk, the world’s richest person, could easily pour tens of millions of dollars into a Senate Republican primary.
Musk warned Republican lawmakers in December that he was compiling a “naughty list” of members who buck Trump’s agenda. He also pledged shortly after Election Day that his political action committee would “play a significant role in primaries” next year.
At the time, the threat was seen as mostly aimed at rebellious House conservatives who loomed as an obstacle to reelecting Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and threatened to derail Trump’s tax agenda by insisting on major spending cuts.
But Republican senators have taken Musk’s warning to heart.
“That’s one of the reasons why you see people who are close to an election — Bill Cassidy, Thom Tillis — voting for certain nominees,” said one Republican senator who requested anonymity to discuss the recent votes of GOP colleagues, including Louisiana’s Cassidy and North Carolina’s Tillis.
“The White House hasn’t been too subtle about that. I think they’ve been fairly threatening,” the lawmaker added, noting Cassidy already faces a primary challenge from Louisiana state Treasurer John Fleming.
The Hill's Alexander Bolton has more at TheHill.com.
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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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OpenAI CEO and co-founder Sam Altman appeared to shut down a reported offer from an investor group led by Elon Musk to buy the nonprofit that controls OpenAI, marking the latest back-and-forth between the two tech leaders. “[N]o thank you but we will buy twitter for $9.74 billion if you want,” Altman wrote on X less than an hour after The Wall Street Journal first reported the Musk-led consortium of investors offered …
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Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) pressed the White House on Monday for information about Elon Musk’s compliance with conflict of interest, ethics and reporting requirements, as the tech billionaire leads a sweeping effort to overhaul of the executive branch from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). In a letter to White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, Schiff noted that as a “special government employee,” Musk is …
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New York State is prohibiting the China-based artificial intelligence application DeepSeek from government devices. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) announced on Monday state government employees are banned from downloading the application on ITS-managed devices and networks, citing “serious concerns” about the platform’s “connection to foreign government surveillance and censorship.” Hochul noted specific concerns about whether …
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Former Treasury Secretaries penned an op-ed Monday expressing their concerns that officials at Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) gained access to the federal payment systems. Writing in The New York Times, five Democratic Treasury secretaries said their service to the country was founded on the “faithful execution of the law and Constitution of the United States.” It was written by former secretaries …
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How Trump's tariffs could impact crypto
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Welcome to Crypto Corner, a new feature in The Hill's Technology newsletter focused on digital currency and its outlook in Washington.
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President Trump's weekend announcement that he will impose 25 percent tariffs on steel and aluminum prompted slight drops in some crypto markets Monday.
Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH) briefly slipped, and various other cryptocurrencies including XRP (XRP), Solana (SOL) and Cardano (ADA) also dipped.
While the dips in Monday's market were brief, it could be a sign of the market volatility we could see in the coming weeks amid Trump's various tariffs threats.
Remember: Cryptocurrencies took a hit last week after Trump announced plans for tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China. The plans impacted his own meme coin, which traded about 75 percent below its all-time high, The Associated Press reported.
Trump previously warned Americans they could feel "some pain" from the tariffs, which may include cryptocurrencies.
Trump issued 10 percent tariffs on China on Feb. 1, following through on a long-standing pledge to target Chinese goods.
He delayed 25 percent tariffs on Canada and Mexico for a month after speaking with both nations’ leaders last week, meaning the saga is likely far from over.
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News we've flagged from the intersection of tech and other topics:
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OpenAI says it spoke with government officials about DeepSeek probe (TechCrunch)
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FTC hires Heritage Foundation policy alum as tech chief (Reuters)
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Branch out with other reads on The Hill:
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Tech companies raise more than $27 million to build infrastructure for kids online safety
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A group of leading major technology companies including OpenAI and Discord have raised more than $27 million for a new initiative focused on building open-source tools to boost online safety for kids. The project, dubbed the Robust Online Safety Tools (ROOST), was created to “build scalable, interoperable safety infrastructure suited for the AI [artificial intelligence] era.” ROOST, which was announced Monday at …
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Ye, the rapper formerly known as Kanye West, has left the social media platform X after a days-long posting spree that included multiple antisemitic comments. It is unclear whether X deactivated Ye’s account or if he willingly deleted it, but the rapper reportedly posted a final message Sunday night stating he was “logging out of Twitter.” “I appreciate Elon [Musk] for allowing me to vent,” he …
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Two key stories on The Hill right now:
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A federal judge in Massachusetts has granted a restraining order against the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and its recent research funding cut … Read more
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A federal judge extended indefinitely the deadline for government workers to accept a government buyout, as a lawsuit to block the offer continues … Read more
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Opinions related to tech submitted to The Hill:
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