State Dept Plans to Spend $400M on Armored Teslas

[iluvatar5150]

https://www.nytimes.com/live/2025/02/12/us/trump-news-gabbard-rfk/state-dept-plans-400-million-order-for-armored-trucks-from-musks-tesla?smid=url-share

Tesla, whose chief executive, Elon Musk, has been advising President Trump on how to cut government spending, is likely to receive a lucrative contract to supply armored versions of its Cybertruck pickup to the State Department, according to public documents.

The department’s procurement forecast for 2025, which details purchases the agency expects to make, includes $400 million for armored Tesla vehicles. The document does not specify which Tesla model, but the electric Cybertruck, which has a body of high-strength stainless steel, would be the most suitable vehicle.​

Do we think this contract will pass muster with DOGE?

 

[Canuckster]

Should be able to afford it after they recover some of the billions Brent Efron from the Biden Regimes EPA says they dumped like ("throwing gold bars off the titanic") just before Trump took power.

x.com

x.com

 

[A2SG]

https://www.nytimes.com/live/2025/02/12/us/trump-news-gabbard-rfk/state-dept-plans-400-million-order-for-armored-trucks-from-musks-tesla?smid=url-share

Tesla, whose chief executive, Elon Musk, has been advising President Trump on how to cut government spending, is likely to receive a lucrative contract to supply armored versions of its Cybertruck pickup to the State Department, according to public documents.​

​

The department’s procurement forecast for 2025, which details purchases the agency expects to make, includes $400 million for armored Tesla vehicles. The document does not specify which Tesla model, but the electric Cybertruck, which has a body of high-strength stainless steel, would be the most suitable vehicle.​

Do we think this contract will pass muster with DOGE?

Back when Musk first became a de facto member of Trump's cabinet, I turned to my wife and said "how long until the Beast (the official presidential vehicle) becomes a Tesla?"

I wasn't far off.

-- A2SG, now, for my next trick, the lottery numbers for next week....

 

[Pommer]

https://www.nytimes.com/live/2025/02/12/us/trump-news-gabbard-rfk/state-dept-plans-400-million-order-for-armored-trucks-from-musks-tesla?smid=url-share

Tesla, whose chief executive, Elon Musk, has been advising President Trump on how to cut government spending, is likely to receive a lucrative contract to supply armored versions of its Cybertruck pickup to the State Department, according to public documents.​

​

The department’s procurement forecast for 2025, which details purchases the agency expects to make, includes $400 million for armored Tesla vehicles. The document does not specify which Tesla model, but the electric Cybertruck, which has a body of high-strength stainless steel, would be the most suitable vehicle.​

Do we think this contract will pass muster with DOGE?

And they’ll be “self-driving” too!
(We will save the cost of training a person to get their APC stuck in a ditch!)

 

[Nithavela]

I think this is a reasonable investment. Where else can you get a car that will also automatically cut off fingers in case you need to do some enhanced interrogation?

 

[Aryeh Jay]

I thought electric cars were bad and killing all the oil and coal jobs.

Anyway, they work great in cold weather.

 

[chevyontheriver]

https://www.nytimes.com/live/2025/02/12/us/trump-news-gabbard-rfk/state-dept-plans-400-million-order-for-armored-trucks-from-musks-tesla?smid=url-share

Tesla, whose chief executive, Elon Musk, has been advising President Trump on how to cut government spending, is likely to receive a lucrative contract to supply armored versions of its Cybertruck pickup to the State Department, according to public documents.​

​

The department’s procurement forecast for 2025, which details purchases the agency expects to make, includes $400 million for armored Tesla vehicles. The document does not specify which Tesla model, but the electric Cybertruck, which has a body of high-strength stainless steel, would be the most suitable vehicle.​

Do we think this contract will pass muster with DOGE?

It might be a logical choice when the alternatives in armored trucks are considered. It smells bad though.

 

[Nithavela]

It might be a logical choice when the alternatives in armored trucks are considered. It smells bad though.

The tesla cybertruck has no armor certification, so it will not to be uparmored, anyway.

 

[Always in His Presence]

Do we think this contract will pass muster with DOGE?

I don’t think it would pass muster with reality.

 

[iluvatar5150]

I don’t think it would pass muster with reality.

In what way? Do you think this is a fake story? It's not.

Here's Time reporting on the removal of Tesla's name from the procurement forecast:

Tesla Removed From $400M Federal Contract Amid Musk Scrutiny

The State Department updated its 2025 procurement forecast after the line item was publicly questioned about potential conflict of interest.

time.com

Here's the current state department procurement forecast website:

Technical Difficulties

and a direct link to the FY25 forecast:

Technical Difficulties

Row 22 is the one in question. Note that Column D and Column F both say "Armored Electric Vehicles".

However, here's the Wayback Machine's archive of that page from a week ago:

Procurement Forecast - United States Department of State

Public Law 100-656, the Business Opportunity Development Reform Act of 1988, amended the Small Business Act to place new emphasis on acquisition planning. The law requires agencies to compile and make available projections of contracting opportunities small and small disadvantaged firms may be...

web.archive.org

and that older version of the forecast:

Wayback Machine

Note that cells D:22 and F:22 say "Armored Tesla (Production Units)"

 

[probinson]

I suppose we're all just going to ignore that this procurement forecast was made under the Biden administration in December 2024, more than a month before Trump took office.

Procurement Forecast Issued Under Biden Administration​

The procurement forecast which identifies Tesla as the supplier for this armored vehicle contract was revised in December 2024 under President Biden. Notably, the Tesla line item was last modified on December 13, 2024, raising questions about whether this contract will proceed as planned under the Trump administration. Given the shifting political landscape, it remains to be seen whether this agreement will face additional scrutiny through DOGE or revisions before finalization.​

​

U.S. Government May Award Tesla $400M Contract for Armored EVs

The U.S. Department of State may soon award Tesla a US$400 million contract for armored vehicles. According to the latest procurement forecast issued by the government agency, Tesla is named as the recipient of the […]

driveteslacanada.ca

​

 

[iluvatar5150]

I suppose we're all just going to ignore that this procurement forecast was made under the Biden administration in December 2024, more than a month before Trump took office.

Nobody in this thread said that the original procurement was corrupt.

 

[Always in His Presence]

I suppose we're all just going to ignore that this procurement forecast was made under the Biden administration in December 2024, more than a month before Trump took office.

Now there you go, bringing in reality - the enemy of a good rant...

 

[Always in His Presence]

Tesla Removed From $400M Federal Contract Amid Musk Scrutiny​

What???? REMOVED - we are arguing about something not happening??

From the link:

a State Department official tells TIME that no government contract has been awarded to Tesla or any other vehicle manufacturer to produce armored electric vehicles for the Department, but the previous administration did ask the Department to explore interest from private companies to produce armored electric vehicles. The Department then did a public Request for Information, the official said, for an armored electric vehicle to solicit interest and received interest from only one company at that time. As a next step in that process, an official solicitation would be sent out to vehicle manufacturers to bid, the official said, but the solicitation is on hold and there are no current plans to issue it.​

​

Reality - bites hard!

 

[wing2000]

Tesla Removed From $400M Federal Contract Amid Musk Scrutiny​

What???? REMOVED - we are arguing about something not happening??

....here's to transparency.


The State Department website says it issues annual procurement forecasts pursuant to the Business Opportunity Development Reform Act of 1988, which “requires agencies to compile and make available projections of contracting opportunities small and small disadvantaged firms may be able to perform.” It is meant to give “small businesses, small disadvantaged businesses, women-owned small businesses, HUBZone small businesses, and service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses” opportunities to compete for direct contracts with the government or subcontracting opportunities.


Will all agencies be providing these "annual procurement forecast" going forward? Or will "small and small disadvantaged firms" be considered to "woke"?

 

[BPPLEE]

https://www.nytimes.com/live/2025/02/12/us/trump-news-gabbard-rfk/state-dept-plans-400-million-order-for-armored-trucks-from-musks-tesla?smid=url-share

Tesla, whose chief executive, Elon Musk, has been advising President Trump on how to cut government spending, is likely to receive a lucrative contract to supply armored versions of its Cybertruck pickup to the State Department, according to public documents.​

​

The department’s procurement forecast for 2025, which details purchases the agency expects to make, includes $400 million for armored Tesla vehicles. The document does not specify which Tesla model, but the electric Cybertruck, which has a body of high-strength stainless steel, would be the most suitable vehicle.​

Do we think this contract will pass muster with DOGE?

This was contracted under Biden.
Not Trump, and before DOGE was a thing

 

[iluvatar5150]

This was contracted under Biden.
Not Trump, and before DOGE was a thing

USAID and FEMA contracts for housing migrants existed before DOGE was a thing, too, and they got the axe. I didn’t say that Trump requisitioned these vehicles; I was just wondering if such a contract would survive DOGE’s scrutiny.

 

[BPPLEE]

USAID and FEMA contracts for housing migrants existed before DOGE was a thing, too, and they got the axe. I didn’t say that Trump requisitioned these vehicles; I was just wondering if such a contract would survive DOGE’s scrutiny.

Whether it's your intention or not the OP gives the impression that Musk was receiving the contract unethically because of his position with DOGE

 

[iluvatar5150]

Whether it's your intention or not the OP gives the impression that Musk was receiving the contract unethically because of his position with DOGE

Ok, I’ll make it more explicit: How self-serving will Musk be with his cutting? We’re gonna find out.

 

[BPPLEE]

Ok, I’ll make it more explicit: How self-serving will Musk be with his cutting? We’re gonna find out.

Well Trump already cut this so, so far not very