Rep. Greg Casar (D-Texas) urged fellow Democrats to continue publicly calling for Elon Musk’s ouster from government, even as he takes a step back to refocus on his companies.
“Elon Musk isn’t gone, and we can’t let Republicans pretend he is just because he’s unpopular now,” Casar, chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, said in a post on the social platform X on Thursday.
“We have to keep up the pressure until we actually Fire Elon Musk,” he continued.
Casar was responding to reporting that Musk was on Capitol Hill on Thursday to meet with Republicans on the Energy and Commerce Committee to discuss energy and artificial intelligence.
Musk’s time at the White House has been marked by significant controversy, as he led the Department of Government Efficiency’s (DOGE) efforts to make sweeping cuts to the federal budget and downsize the government workforce, though a number of those efforts remain tied up in court.
But Musk has taken a step back from politics recently, as his special government status is set to expire May 30. He told Tesla investors last month that he plans to wind down the amount of time he spends on DOGE to devote more time to Tesla and his other companies, as his controversial government initiatives sparked backlash against the company.
In a CNBC interview on Tuesday, Musk said he plans to be at the White House “for a couple days every few weeks. And to be helpful where I can be helpful.”
Musk said during a discussion at the Qatar Economic Forum on Tuesday that he plans to pull back his political contributions after spending at least $250 million to help boost Trump’s 2024 campaign and others.
“In terms of political spending, I’m going to do a lot less in the future,” the Tesla CEO said.
“If I see a reason to do political spending in the future, I will do it,” he added. “I do not currently see a reason.”
