Trump & Musk **ck 🟠◼️

Trump and Musk are rewriting the rules of the game, with Trump on an Executive Order spree while Musk’s DOGE utilises Trump's immense power as President. In transportation and delivery related only, over the past weeks: 

• As expected, Trump is out to cancel New York’s congestion pricing, revoking federal approval for the tolls. In return and within the hour, the MTA filed a lawsuit against the federal government, so now we wait for the courts to decide. 

• DOGE instructed The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) - a regulator in charge of safety, including autonomous vehicle safety, which also regulates and is actively investigating Tesla - to cut 10% of its workforce. 

• A team from SpaceX is being brought in to overhaul the FAA’s air traffic control system - with hundreds being fired from the FAA. Yes, the FAA also regulates SpaceX. 

• Trump to take control over the US Post Office (USPS) - a step toward potential (and likely) privatisation. 

• Rivian’s $6.6 billion loan from the US government for a new manufacturing plant is in danger - as Trump freezes federal loans. 

• The Transportation Secretary is asking for a compliance review of California's High Speed Rail project; as with most infrastructure projects, it is over budget and over time, and federal money plays a big part in the funding. 

• Trump plans to impose tariffs of around 25% on auto imports.

  With so many moving parts - and we are just two months into Trump’s term - only in a few years will we be able to understand the full effect these changes will have on the US and the world.

Oh, and the word is “hack” - it means “to cut into pieces in a rough and violent way, often without aiming exactly”.