Top Congressional Democrats expressed concern over a halted $400 million plan by the Trump administration to purchase armored electric vehicles from Tesla, citing potential violations of federal procurement laws. Reps. Gregory Meeks and Jared Moskowitz highlighted the plan's implications for unlawfully benefiting Elon Musk. Although the State Department initially estimated the purchase, they later confirmed no further plans were in place. The Democrats raised questions about transparency surrounding documentation edits that removed explicit references to Tesla, underscoring the need for oversight on governmental spending and procurement processes.
Earlier this week, 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 lawmakers homed in on in their letter to Rubio on Friday citing that the plans represent "a serious violation of federal procurement laws" that would "unlawfully enrich Mr. Musk."
A document from the Biden White House obtained by NPR shows that the State Department planned to spend $483,000 on electric vehicle acquisition in 2025, less than 1% of the $400 million.
Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut also wrote Rubio a letter demanding details about plans to purchase Teslas.
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