New York lawmakers move to close Tesla dealerships amid Musk's DOGE chaos

New York, New York - State lawmakers in New York are looking into shutting down Tesla dealerships in response to Elon Musk's all-out war on the administrative state.

Elon Musk's Tesla may face the closure of its dealerships in New York if state lawmakers succeeds in to revoke several licenses.
Elon Musk's Tesla may face the closure of its dealerships in New York if state lawmakers succeeds in to revoke several licenses.  © AFP/David Ryder/Getty Images

State Senator Patricia Fahy joined with other lawmakers to force Tesla to sell its vehicles through dealer franchises rather than the five dealerships that are currently allowed to operate across New York.

Fehy and her colleagues want to revoke five licenses given to Tesla and distribute them to other EV manufacturers.

"No matter what we do, we’ve got to take this from Elon Musk," Fehy said of the bill in March. "He's part of an effort to go backwards."

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Musk's Tesla sells more EVs in the US than any other country, largely facilitated by the ability to sell direct to consumers rather than through third party franchises.

This approach is largely limited by regulations in other states, but it has been permitted in New York, a concession the Senator Fehy wants to revoke.

"The bottom line is, Tesla has lost their right to promote these when they’re part of an administration that wants to go backwards," Fahy said. "Elon Musk was handed a privilege here."

Musk has played a key role in President Donald Trump's second administration, as leader of the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). He has been responsible for gutting government departments and the firing of thousands of civil servants.

Fahy told the New York Times that Musk cannot be allowed to keep the New York licenses because he is "part of an administration that is killing all the grant funding for electric vehicle infrastructure, killing wind energy, killing anything that might address climate change."

Cover photo: AFP/David Ryder/Getty Images

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