Top Democrats ask Rubio for answers on now-canceled $400 million Tesla plan
Source: NPR
March 7, 2025 3:52 PM ET
Two top congressional Democrats on foreign policy matters pressed Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday about a now-cancelled effort to purchase $400 million worth of armored electric vehicles made by Tesla.
In a letter citing NPR's recent reporting on the Trump administration's move to acquire $400 million of Teslas, U.S. Reps. Gregory Meeks of New York, the ranking member of the House Committee on Foreign Relations, and Jared Moskowitz of Florida, who's the top Democrat on the committee's oversight subcommittee, said the plans represent "a serious violation of federal procurement laws" that would "unlawfully enrich Mr. Musk," the billionaire tech mogul serving as a top official in the White House.
Earlier this week, Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut also wrote Rubio a letter demanding details about plans to purchase Teslas.
Last month, a State Department spokesperson told NPR the $400 million figure was "an estimate," and that there are now no plans of moving forward with the purchase. The spokesperson said a plan to begin studying the viability of using Teslas as armored vehicles first started in the Biden administration.
Read more: https://www.npr.org/2025/03/07/g-s1-52618/lawmakers-question-400-million-dollar-tesla-plan
Link to Reps Meeks and Moskowitz LETTER (PDF viewer) - https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25555483-3-7-2025-rm-meeks-and-moskowitz-letter-to-secretary-rubio-about-tesla-contract/
Link to Reps Meeks and Moskowitz LETTER (PDF) - https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/25555483/3-7-2025-rm-meeks-and-moskowitz-letter-to-secretary-rubio-about-tesla-contract.pdf
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