Latest news with #GeneralServicesAdministration
Bloomberg
18 hours ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
Trump's Mar-a-Lago Neighbors Charge Above-Market Rent to US Government
The Trump administration is renting three houses near Mar-a-Lago for $13.3 million, a sum greater than half of the properties' estimated market value and a steep markup from the rates it paid in the same Palm Beach neighborhood five years ago. The General Services Administration in February signed four-year leases for two of the homes and a five-year lease for the third, all within two blocks of President Donald Trump's Florida resort, according to GSA records. Administration officials declined to say how the properties will be used, or answer questions about the rental agreements.
Mint
29-05-2025
- Business
- Mint
Musk Departs US Government With His Business Empire in Turmoil
Billionaire Elon Musk said Wednesday that his time as formal adviser to President Donald Trump is coming to a close, raising questions about the future of the Department of Government Efficiency effort he spearheaded. 'As my scheduled time as a Special Government Employee comes to an end, I would like to thank President @realDonaldTrump for the opportunity to reduce wasteful spending,' Musk posted on X, his social media platform. 'The @DOGE mission will only strengthen over time as it becomes a way of life throughout the government.' By law, Musk's status as a temporary government official was set to run out as soon as May 30, although the exact date was subject to an accounting of his actual days worked. A White House official familiar with the move, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss a personnel matter, said Musk began the off-boarding process Wednesday night and cast the departure as a decision the technology entrepreneur made on his own with the support of the president. Earlier: Musk Says He's 'Disappointed' That Trump Tax Bill Raises Deficit The move comes shortly after Musk gave an interview critical of Trump's biggest legislative priority — the tax cut proposal known as the 'One Big Beautiful Bill' — as not doing enough to reduce federal deficits. Musk's campaign to slash the size of the US government sent shockwaves through Washington, with some agencies eliminated outright and tens of thousands of federal workers purged or convinced to accept buyouts, but the initiative fell short of its own high expectations for cost savings. Trump originally gave the effort a sunset date of July 4, 2026, allowing DOGE nearly 18 months to find what Musk originally promised would be $2 trillion in savings. Musk later downgraded that ambition to $1 trillion — and then even further to $150 billion. Musk, 53, has joked that his White House title was 'chief nothing officer' and maintained he was not essential to the mission. But he quickly became a lightning rod for critics of the venture who focused on the optics of the world's richest man working to help dismantle the government's workforce and functions. Trump and Musk have previously declined to lay out a succession plan for DOGE. The project was Musk's brainchild — even down to the acronym that paid homage to an internet-famous dog meme that's long been an object of his obsession. 'DOGE is a way of life, like Buddhism,' he joked during one briefing, suggesting that the effort would proceed even after his exit. 'Buddha isn't alive anymore. You wouldn't ask the question: 'Who would lead Buddhism?'' The three top lieutenants he brought to that interview — Steve Davis, Antonio Gracias and Anthony Armstrong — have taken up key DOGE outposts at the General Services Administration, Social Security Administration and the Office of Personnel Management. Those agencies have been among the most active in implementing DOGE's anti-fraud, cost-cutting mission. DOGE's work has drawn lawsuits over its authority and access to government data and some claims about cost savings have been inaccurate, sparking questions about accountability at the endeavor. Musk has also faced questions regarding conflicts of interest for a tech entrepreneur whose varied business interests already make him a major player in federal contracts. The backlash against Musk over his high-profile political work sparked concerns among investors over the fallout for his companies, most prominently Tesla Inc. Vehicle sales fell to a nearly three-year low in the first quarter of the year and the stock price plummeted, leading many Wall Street analysts to slash growth expectations. Tesla cars, showrooms and charger stations endured protests and acts of vandalism, with the Cybertruck being a particular target for critics of Musk. Trump and allies have rallied around the CEO, including an event on the White House grounds where the president viewed different Tesla models before settling on buying a a red Model S, in many ways an unprecedented spectacle. Musk has openly acknowledged the challenges of managing his businesses — Tesla, SpaceX, XAI Holdings, Neuralink and The Boring Co. — along with his work in Washington. The Tesla CEO told investors in April that he would soon devote 'far more' of his time to the automaker, sending shares in the company higher. Earlier this month, the billionaire told Bloomberg News in an interview that he now planned to pull back on political spending because 'I think I've done enough.' This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
Associated Press
28-05-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Fired federal tech staffers file retaliation claim to a panel whose chairwoman Trump also fired
WASHINGTON (AP) — A group of roughly 80 fired federal employees on Wednesday appealed their terminations to an administrative body in charge of protecting the rights of federal employees from partisan political practices. Notably, that board's chairwoman was also recently fired by President Donald Trump. The 18F employees, who worked on technology projects such as the IRS' Direct File, filed an appeal at the Merit Systems Protection Board against the General Services Administration and Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency. They claim they were identified in February for a reduction-in-force because of their 'perceived political affiliations or beliefs,' as well as 'protected speech and actions supporting diversity, equity, and inclusion, and actions to resist and blow the whistle on management's improper handling and transition of control concerning sensitive data and systems.' In February, billionaire tech mogul Elon Musk posted on his social media site that he had 'deleted' 18F. Musk was responding to a post by an X user who called 18F 'far left' and mused that Direct File 'puts the government in charge' of preparing people's taxes. 'That group has been deleted,' Musk wrote. The appeal documents state that the employees were removed from federal service 'through a purported RIF because they were perceived to be left-wing, radical, or affiliated with DEI activities,' which 'abuses the laws and regulations governing RIFs to punish perceived political opponents and to coerce conformity with their values and political positions, and violates federal civil rights statutes.' One of the MSPB's primary functions is to protect federal workers against partisan politics and other prohibited personnel practices by adjudicating employee appeals, according to the board's website. The workers' complaint comes after the Supreme Court cleared the way for Trump to fire the head of the board, Cathy Harris, while a lawsuit plays out. According to the MSPB website, as of April 9, Acting Chairman Henry Kerner is the sole serving board member, and the board is currently without a quorum to vote on petitions for review. A White House official did not respond to an Associated Press request for comment.
The Independent
27-05-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Trump plans to cut last $100 million worth of contracts with Harvard and remove all government funding
The Trump administration is directing agencies to consider ending or transitioning about $100 million worth of contracts with Harvard University, effectively severing the remainder of the federal government's financial relationship with the university after months of threatening funding cuts worth billions. In a letter on Tuesday, the administration's General Services Administration recommended that agencies review existing contracts and avoid making new deals with Harvard. The message, obtained by The Independent, accuses the university of a 'deeply troubling pattern' of potential discriminatory hiring, tolerating antisemitism, and continuing to use race-based affirmative action in admissions, despite the Supreme Court striking the practice down in a 2023 ruling. As evidence, the letter points to the addition of a remedial math class for incoming freshmen, claiming the course is among the 'direct results of employment discriminatory factors, instead of merit, in admissions decisions.' (After the 2023 ruling, Black enrollment at Harvard declined from 18 to 14 percent.) The contract review applies to about 30 deals, and critical contracts might not immediately be terminated but rather transitioned elsewhere at an appropriate time, a government official familiar with the letter told The Independent. The Independent has contacted Harvard for comment. The funding review comes after months of tension between the university and the administration, with the White House accusing the Ivy League school of violating civil rights law over its handling of campus antisemitism and pro-Palestine protests, and Harvard arguing the administration is trying to undermine its academic independence. On Monday, President Trump complained that the university had not provided the government information on foreign students the president said were 'radicalized lunatics' and 'troublemakers' who 'should not be let back into our Country.' In a separate post, Trump said he was 'considering taking Three Billion Dollars of Grant Money away from a very antisemitic Harvard' and giving it to trade schools. Last week, the administration attempted to block Harvard's ability to enroll international students, prompting the university to sue. A judge temporarily reinstated the school's ability to enroll such students, and a hearing is scheduled in the case on Thursday. The administration has also threatened to end Harvard's tax-exempt status and has frozen billions in federal funds to the university. Last month, the university sued to restore its funding, rather than agree to a series of sweeping demands from the administration to make changes like cooperating with federal immigration officials, overhauling its admissions policies, and agreeing to a viewpoint diversity audit.
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Trump cuts all government funding to Harvard
Donald Trump has cut off all government funding to Harvard amid an escalating feud between the US president and America's oldest university. Mr Trump instructed federal agencies on Tuesday to cancel the final federal contracts with Harvard, which are worth an estimated $100 million, according to a letter obtained by The New York Times. One administration official said the move represented the complete severance of the government's longstanding business relationship with Harvard. The letter, from the General Services Administration, was expected to be delivered to federal agencies on Tuesday morning, instructing them to respond with a list of contract cancellations by June 6. Among the agreements set to be terminated is a $49,858 National Institutes of Health contract looking into the effects of coffee drinking. A $25,800 contract for training senior executives with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the agency which last week attempted to strip Harvard of its ability to enrol foreign students, will also be cancelled. The relationship between the government and university first came to a head in April, when Mr Trump's administration sent a list of demands to Harvard which included abolishing its diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programmes and rejecting applicants 'hostile' to 'American values'. Alan Garber, the university's president, declared he would resist what he characterised as the president's move to 'control the Harvard community' and erode its 'academic independence'. Mr Trump subsequently froze billions of dollars worth of contracts and grants with Harvard, and threatened to strip it of its tax-exempt status – although it is unclear if he has the power to do this. Harvard then sued the government, calling the move 'flatly unlawful', although the White House insists the 'gravy train of federal assistance' would come to an end. The administration ramped up its pressure on the university last week when it said it would prevent it from enrolling foreign students and force those already in place to transfer to another institution, although it was swiftly blocked by a judge pending a legal battle. Critics claimed the move, notionally a response to Harvard's failure to clamp down on campus anti-Semitism, risked expelling dozens of Israeli students from the country. Rabbi Jason Rubenstein, head of Harvard Hillel, the university's Jewish hub, said it meant veterans of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) could be stripped of their visas as a result. The 'escalating federal assault' on Harvard 'stands to substantially harm the very Jewish students and scholars it purports to protect,' he told Jewish Insider. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
