Close Menu
Technology Mag

    Subscribe to Updates

    Get the latest creative news from FooBar about art, design and business.

    What's Hot

    Microsoft’s Edge browser now loads sites even faster

    July 7, 2025

    ‘Donkey Kong Bananza’ Could be the Next Killer Game the Switch 2 Needs

    July 7, 2025

    xAI updated Grok to be more ‘politically incorrect’

    July 7, 2025
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
    Subscribe
    Technology Mag
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram YouTube
    • Home
    • News
    • Business
    • Games
    • Gear
    • Reviews
    • Science
    • Security
    • Trending
    • Press Release
    Technology Mag
    Home » Elon Musk’s $1 Spending Limit Is Paralyzing Federal Agencies
    Business

    Elon Musk’s $1 Spending Limit Is Paralyzing Federal Agencies

    News RoomBy News RoomMarch 4, 20253 Mins Read
    Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Reddit WhatsApp Email

    The impacts have hit the National Park Service as well. One employee was poised to go on a trip to oversee road maintenance at a national monument when the change went into effect on February 20. “Unless I want to pay for it myself, I can’t go. I can’t pay for my hotel, my rental car, fuel for the car. Now I can’t carry out the mission,” the employee says. “Today, instead of focusing on other work, I’m focused on three different contingencies on how to handle this. Do I go? Do I call my engineering team and tell them to reschedule? And if so, when? The project is on an indefinite hold.”

    A memo written to staff at the National Park Service specified that “all travel that is NOT related to national security, public safety, or immigration enforcement should be canceled if it begins on Wednesday, February 26, through the end of March 2025.” A long-term decision on the travel policy, it said, will come “at a later date.” Some NPS staffers were able to travel in February despite not getting official clearance. They have now been told no travel will be allowed in March. To date, roughly 75 trips have been canceled or rescheduled, according to a source familiar with the situation.

    The National Park Service did not respond to a request for comment from WIRED.

    Some government employees say they were given a warning prior to the change being announced on February 20. “We went out and bought cases and cases of toilet paper the night before,” another current employee at the National Park Service says. “There’s a general acknowledgement that things are going to break.”

    That employee works in the Pacific West Region, which manages federal land in California, Hawaii, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Nevada, as well as parks in Arizona, Montana, Guam, and American Samoa. While the GSA did allow for the possibility of exceptions to the clamp-down, the employee claims there are only four purchase cards with spending limits above $1 available for the entire region.

    Some of these parks pay for services like internet and wireless on purchase cards—leaving staffers wondering if their work devices could soon be cut off. “Before someone can fix a bathroom a work order has to be issued,” the current employee explains. “That happens electronically. Like any business, we rely on email, Teams, and chat to get things done.”

    The spending limits reflect Musk’s belief in zero-based budgeting. After he purchased Twitter, he slashed the budget to zero and forced employees to justify every expense. He also froze people’s corporate credit cards.

    “With the Twitter pausing of payments, at some point we were in a meeting at 1 am on a Saturday, and it was like, ‘Hey, let’s turn the credit cards off to see what bounces, and what happens,’” explained angel investor Jason Calacanis on the All In podcast in February. (Calacanis was part of Musk’s transition team at Twitter.) “And of course, we started getting calls … The people who come first, they’re probably the ones who are in on the biggest grift.”

    Employees see it a different way. “There are so many controls in place to make sure fraud doesn’t happen,” alleges the current NPS staffer. “I honestly believe the only fraud occurring is being committed by Musk, [Russell] Vought, and [Donald] Trump.”

    Kate Knibbs and Aarian Marshall contributed to this reporting.

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit Email
    Previous ArticleThe best stuff we’ve seen at MWC so far
    Next Article YouTube warns creators an AI-generated video of its CEO is being used for phishing scams

    Related Posts

    Despite Protests, Elon Musk Secures Air Permit for xAI

    July 4, 2025

    What Could a Healthy AI Companion Look Like?

    July 4, 2025

    For Today’s Business Traveler, It’s All About Work-Life Integration

    July 3, 2025

    Affluent Travelers Are Ditching Business Class for Business Jets

    July 2, 2025

    Airplane Wi-Fi Is Now … Good?

    July 2, 2025

    Business Travel Is Evolving Faster Than Ever. We’ll Help You Navigate It

    July 2, 2025
    Our Picks

    ‘Donkey Kong Bananza’ Could be the Next Killer Game the Switch 2 Needs

    July 7, 2025

    xAI updated Grok to be more ‘politically incorrect’

    July 7, 2025

    Apple just added more frost to its Liquid Glass design

    July 7, 2025

    The next Switch 2 restock kicks off at 7PM ET online at Walmart

    July 7, 2025
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Pinterest
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
    • Vimeo
    Don't Miss
    News

    Tesla’s real struggles have only just begun

    By News RoomJuly 7, 2025

    Tesla used to be the envy of the auto world, with sky-high valuations, a relentless…

    Bluesky can really keep up with the news now that it has activity notifications

    July 7, 2025

    Epic reaches mystery settlement with Samsung days before new Galaxy phones

    July 7, 2025

    Apple’s latest AirPods are already on sale for $99 before Prime Day

    July 7, 2025
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram Pinterest
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of use
    • Advertise
    • Contact
    © 2025 Technology Mag. All Rights Reserved.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.