Washington, D.C. – Tech billionaire Elon Musk is reportedly advocating for a government shutdown to make it easier for his DOGE team to eliminate hundreds of thousands of federal workers, according to a new report from WIRED.
The report, which cites four anonymous government sources, comes as the House prepares to vote on a spending bill aimed at preventing a shutdown. Democrats have opposed the measure, arguing that it threatens entitlement programs like Social Security.
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A Republican source “familiar with the situation” told WIRED, “A shutdown has been his preference. I think he’s boxed in there by the president. I think it would be really hard for him to get around that.”
Another Republican source suggested that “the billionaire’s goal is for the continuing resolution (CR) to tank if only to achieve a brief government shutdown.” A third Republican source added, “You know none of this is about saving money, right? It’s all about destroying a liberal power base.”
Federal employees are reportedly concerned that even a temporary shutdown could lead to permanent job cuts. “There are concerns anyone deemed nonessential will be DOGE’d,” a State Department employee told WIRED.
The report explained how federal employees are categorized ahead of a shutdown: “Ahead of a shutdown, federal employees are effectively classified into essential or nonessential work, with nonessential employees furloughed and not allowed to work until the shutdown ends.”
WIRED also noted that Musk has previously spoken about reducing so-called nonessential workers. The report cited a February interview in which Musk stated, “If the job is not essential, or they are not doing it well, they obviously shouldn’t be on the public payroll.”
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A professor of public policy quoted in the report reinforced the connection between Musk’s goals and the shutdown, stating, “A shutdown is aligned with the goals of DOGE. In the president’s executive order, he told DOGE to focus on nonessential employees, which is to say employees who are designated as nonessential during government shutdowns.”
WIRED noted that neither Musk nor the White House responded to requests for comment. As the shutdown deadline looms, the controversy over Musk’s alleged involvement in workforce reductions continues to generate heated debate in Washington.
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