Introduction to the Department of Government Efficiency

Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has been making significant changes in the federal government over the past few weeks. One of the key actions taken by DOGE has been to reduce budgets and staff across various agencies. This includes the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), which is facing a reduction of about 10 percent of its workforce through buyouts and layoffs.

Impact on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

According to reports from The Washington Post, between 70 and 80 employees are leaving the NHTSA, an agency responsible for ensuring road safety in the US. These departing employees worked in several areas, including safety grant funding and crash test dummies. The reduction in staff also affects a small team focused on the safety of autonomous vehicles, such as those developed by Alphabet’s Waymo, Amazon’s Zoox, and Elon Musk’s Tesla.

Concerns Over Conflict of Interest

The fact that an organization led by the CEO of a prominent company working on self-driving cars has cut federal employees evaluating the safety of such technology raises concerns about potential conflicts of interest. A fired engineer expressed concern that the reduction in staff will affect the federal government’s ability to understand the safety case behind Tesla’s vehicles, suggesting that the expertise within the government to adequately assess this technology is now almost nonexistent.

Expansion and Reduction of NHTSA

During the Biden administration, the NHTSA expanded from approximately 600 workers to around 800. The team overseeing autonomous vehicle safety was part of this growth. However, due to a DOGE initiative targeting probationary employees, several members of this team, being new to the federal government, were at risk of losing their jobs. Other agencies, like the Federal Aviation Administration, have also been impacted, with around 400 probationary employees being cut.

Commitment to Avoiding Conflicts of Interest

Elon Musk and President Donald Trump have pledged that Musk, as a "special government employee," will not be involved in decisions that could conflict with his business interests. Despite this commitment, the recent actions by DOGE and their impact on agencies like the NHTSA raise questions about the potential for conflicts of interest, especially given Musk’s significant involvement in the development of autonomous vehicles through Tesla.

Regulatory Actions Involving Tesla

The NHTSA has issued numerous recalls for Tesla vehicles over the years, including a significant recall to address issues with Autopilot safety controls. In 2024, the agency concluded an investigation into 14 deaths linked to the misuse of Tesla’s Autopilot feature. Most recently, Elon Musk announced plans to launch a paid autonomous ride-hailing service in Austin, further highlighting the importance of robust regulatory oversight in the development and deployment of autonomous vehicle technology.