Senator Rick Scott (R-FL) said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union” that Elon Musk did not “have the power to fire” federal government employees.
The Florida Republican explained that power was held by President Donald Trump and agency heads.
Scott said, “I talked to Elon Musk quite a bit about what he’s doing. And he’s doing what I did when I became governor of Florida. You look at every program. So here’s what he said. He is looking at every program he can. He’s given information to agency heads, and they’re making a decision how to go forward.”
Anchor Jake Tapper said, “So I don’t doubt that people are fed up with wasteful government spending. I just don’t think that they think air traffic controllers are wasteful government spending. According to the Times, Transportation Secretary Duffy accused Musk of trying to fire air traffic controllers even after multiple deadly plane crashes and close calls. If the secretary of transportation is worried that Musk is not doing this in a constructive and wise manner, why should the American people be convinced of it?”
Scott said, “Elon Musk does not have the power to fire people. The president of the United States is Donald Trump, and the agency heads are the ones who manage each of their departments, so they’ve got the — they’ve got the decision. That’s what Elon Musk has told me time and time again.”
Follow Pam Key on X @pamkeyNEN
