WASHINGTON (AP) — Elon Musk has long railed against the U.S. government, saying a crushing number of federal investigations and safety programs have stymied Tesla, his electric car company, and its efforts to create fleets of robotaxis and other self-driving automobiles.

President Trump has empowered Elon Musk, the richest man in the world, to gut the federal bureaucracy. Here's 5 ways he's starting to carry it out.

Elon Musk has long railed against the U.S. government, saying a crushing number of federal investigations and safety programs have stymied Tesla, his electric car company, and its efforts to create self-driving automobiles.

The president let the spotlight in the Oval Office go to his billionaire friend/budget slasher, who cited blank checks and 150-year-old Social Security beneficiaries to justify purging the federal work force.

A judge extended his pause Monday on the Trump administration’s plan to slash the federal workforce through mass buyouts, hours after a different judge ruled the government had violated an order to stop freezing federal funds—the latest in a slew of legal actions as Democrats and others fight President Donald Trump and cost-cutting czar Elon Musk in court.