Congress
Musk, on Capitol Hill, says ‘get rid of all credits’
Elon Musk, the billionaire electric vehicle mogul whom President-elect Donald Trump has tapped to help lead a government efficiency task force, told Blue Light News’s E&E News on Thursday that he wants to eliminate tax breaks for EV buyers.
The Tesla CEO was on Capitol Hill on Thursday morning meeting with lawmakers to discuss his plans to downsize federal agencies and programs, slash what many Republicans consider wasteful spending, and boost the government’s productivity.
He is poised to lead the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, alongside fellow Trump surrogate Vivek Ramaswamy. Both men had a number of meetings scheduled with lawmakers Thursday.
“I think we just need to make sure we spend the public’s money well,” Musk told reporters after leaving the office of incoming Senate Majority Leader John Thune.
In response to a question about whether he would want to get rid of the $7,500 tax credit for certain electric vehicle purchases that Democrats passed as part of their 2022 climate law, Musk said, “I think we should get rid of all credits.”
Musk, a major Trump donor, has previously stated on the social media platform X, which he also owns, that he believes the government should scrap tax credits.
“Take away the subsidies. It will only help Tesla,” he posted in July, before Trump tapped him to lead his new advisory committee. “Also, remove subsidies from all industries!”
The Biden administration has relied on subsidies, grants, loans and tax credits to supercharge the clean energy transition, namely through the Inflation Reduction Act’s $369 billion in climate spending and the bipartisan infrastructure law.
Congressional Republicans were making plans this week for using budget reconciliation early next year to roll back many of those energy and climate investments. Many of those programs, however, have gained some bipartisan support as funds have flowed to Republican-led districts.
In a meeting this morning, Ramaswamy talked with Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), who is leading the new Senate DOGE Caucus.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) organized a meeting among all House and Senate Republicans with Musk and Ramaswamy, slated to take place Thursday afternoon.
A meeting is now underway seeking potential paths for ending the shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security.
Tom Homan, President Donald Trump’s border czar, is meeting with top Senate appropriators and other key senators. It’s the second meeting of the same group in as many days.
Speaker Mike Johnson is planning to put a stalled Homeland Security funding bill on the House floor a third time next week, according to three people granted anonymity to discuss private plans, as the GOP moves to further pressure Democrats to end the five-week closure.
Two versions of the bill have already passed the House, each time with just a few House Democrats breaking from party lines to back it. But the bill is still held up in the Senate, where Democrats have refused to approve DHS funding without adding new restrictions on immigration enforcement.
The House will also vote on a resolution next week in support of DHS workers, including TSA officers who have gone without pay as the spring break travel crush stresses U.S. airports.
House GOP leaders are punting a reauthorization vote for the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act that they had hoped to hold next week until mid-April, with a GOP hard-liner revolt over warrantless surveillance threatening to tank the legislation, according to three people with direct knowledge of the matter granted anonymity to discuss the conference dynamics.
GOP leaders are still dealing with a dozen or so Republican members who want reforms to the spy powers extension, as Speaker Mike Johnson is trying to pass a clean, 18-month extension without any changes. President Donald Trump has also asked for the clean extension.
Johnson and GOP leaders will instead work through the remaining issues over the upcoming two-week recess and try to put the extension on the floor the week of April 14, the people said.
Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) and a group of ultraconservatives have warned GOP leaders that the reauthorization would fail if Johnson tried to push it through next week.
Another House Republican told Blue Light News there was “no way” a rule to advance a clean FISA extension would pass next week.
Johnson can lose only two votes on a rule to advance the measure, and already a handful of GOP hard-liners have told Blue Light News they would oppose it.
The FISA reauthorization deadline is April 20, and the delay leaves barely any time for the Senate to act.
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