The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), under the leadership of Musk, is enacting significant staff reductions within the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The team tasked with overseeing the safety of vehicles produced by Tesla and other automakers has seen its personnel shrink by nearly half. Concurrently, NHTSA has launched an investigation into Tesla Motors following fatal car accidents. NHTSA has acknowledged cutting a "small number" of positions, affecting various facets of the agency's safety responsibilities. These layoffs encompass both the termination of probationary employees and the buyouts of senior staff.