This was Swensen’s third time protesting at the Tesla facility and her husband’s fourth time, she said. Swensen, who is a retired teacher, said she calls her elected representatives’ offices daily to express her concerns.
Protesters criticized Musk’s running of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which was established through a presidential executive order on Jan. 20.
“I’m very concerned about what Musk is doing. He is totally dismantling the government,” said Kathy Jones, of Dayton.
While Amy Gleason is the acting administrator of DOGE, Musk is considered by many to be the department’s de facto leader and holds the title of senior advisor to the President.
Saturday was the fourth time people have gathered outside of the Moraine Tesla facility to protest Musk, Jones said.
“We’re going to be out here until he’s gone,” Jones said.
Other protesters shared similar concerns about cuts to staffing at federal agencies, as well as changes in funding issued to states by those agencies.
“I feel like there’s been so much destruction done in what they’re doing in taking away thousands of jobs in the name of efficiency,” said Kathy Austin, of Dayton. “How is that efficient?”
Austin, whose daughter was affected by Hurricane Helene, was concerned about changes to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
On Friday, FEMA denied North Carolina’s request for an extension on the 100% match for Helene disaster recovery, according to a statement from North Carolina Governor Josh Stein.
“I got this news while I was in Newland with families who lost their homes in the storm. The need in western North Carolina remains immense — people need debris removed, homes rebuilt and roads restored,” said Stein, urging the federal government to reconsider.
Other top concerns for people at Saturday’s protest were veterans, Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, as well as how cuts to those departments and staffing reductions might impact people’s ability to access benefits.
“A lot of us are retired and a lot of us are working, and we’re paying into Social Security,” said Terri Clary, of Miamisburg. “...I need him (Musk) to keep his hands off of Social Security.”
Musk is also considered the wealthiest person in the world with the Bloomberg Billionaires Index estimating his net worth at $330 billion and Forbes estimating it be to higher at $359.5 billion. This is mostly due to his ownership stakes in Tesla and SpaceX, which is an aerospace company focused on space technology.
The “Tesla Takedown” movement encourages peaceful protests at Tesla facilities nationwide in opposition of Musk’s DOGE role.
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