Sources tell WIRED that Elon Musk has wanted a government shutdown in part because it would potentially make it easier to eliminate the jobs of hundreds of thousands of federal workers.

The federal government will shut down if a funding bill is not passed by the end of Friday. Illinois has over 40,000 federal civilian employees who could be working with pay, working without pay, or furloughed with no income.

President Trump’s decision to reel in some of Elon Musk’s indiscriminate approach to slashing the federal work force reflects a growing unease among Republicans.

Billionaire Elon Musk is at the center of cutting federal spending for Donald Trump, but the president urged him to use a scalpel rather than hatchet.

It is unheard-of for a White House staffer to make such large contributions to support the boss' agenda. But there has never been someone in the direct employ of an administration like Musk.