Elon Musk, who has significant business ties to China, has directed operatives working for his Department of Government Efficiency to cut funding to the National Endowment for Democracy, a federally funded nonprofit group that does extensive work countering Chinese influence.
NED has long funded groups working to combat the Chinese Communist Party by exposing its human rights abuses and supporting anti-communist efforts in China. For this reason, conservative China hawks have long supported the organization, with U.N. Ambassador Nominee Elise Stefanik, formerly one of China’s fiercest critics in the House, at one point sitting on its board of directors. Republicans and Democrats have long held a consensus that NED is an important tool for advancing American interests.
