Wired: How a Government Shutdown Would Help Elon Musk [View all]

In just over 48 hours, the government will partially shut down unless Congress can pass a continuing resolution. New reporting from Wired finds Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency might just want Washington, D.C., to close for a few days. Makena Kelly, senior politics writer at Wired, and Vittoria Elliott, reporter at Wired, join "America Decides" to explain.

watch:

WIRED Senior Editor Leah Feiger joins Global Editorial Director Katie Drummond to explain why Elon Musk might actually want a government shutdown.

listen: https://www.wired.com/story/uncanny-valley-podcast-elon-musk-government-shutdown/

more:

...a government shutdown could work to the benefit of Trump and Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), because the executive branch has broader powers over what to close and what to keep open in the event funding runs out.

The Washington Post reported that it's not yet clear which parts of the government would close in the event of a shutdown this weekend. The White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB), spearheaded by close Trump ally and Project 2025 architect Russell Vought, recently axed Biden-era guidance on shutdown procedures from its website, the Post reported.

On Thursday, a White House website that included instructions for what to do in the event of a shutdown led to an error message. The Post reported that the White House budget office, which typically gives workers two days advance notice of government funding changes, told officials on Wednesday to "hold for additional guidance from us before making any employee notifications."

In the event of a shutdown, the OMB would have wide latitude to decide what is deemed "essential" government work. With the president's blessing, Vought could determine that DOGE was doing essential government work and keep it open while other agencies did furloughs, for instance, making it easier for Musk's team of employees to access internal systems and operate freely.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/why-elon-musk-and-doge-might-love-a-government-shutdown/ar-AA1ASqkN