Many U.S. auto dealers saw a mini buying boom at the end of March in anticipation of a 25% tariff on foreign made cars.

Now, car dealers are trying to figure out what this is going to look like for customers who walk into the showroom, said Rob Smith, President Of Montgomery County-based Fitzgerald Auto Mall.

News4 spoke to him by phone.

“Got about 15 different brands that we’ve got to keep track of,” Smith said. “Some of them have said they might just absorb it and reduce and not have any incentives, like rebates or special APR. Others have said, ‘We’re going to add a line to the sticker on the car. The MSRP will have another charge labeled the tariff charge.’”

The news has the industry spinning.

The Big Three Detroit automakers and others rely on an integrated supply chain that may see a vehicle criss cross borders with Mexico and Canada multiple times before its final assembly. It’s not clear if that vehicle would be subject to a tariff each time, which would increase costs substantially.

“Toyota has a very large presence in Kentucky, and Subaru has a large presence in Indiana and Hyundai has a big presence in Alabama, and so many of their vehicles are assembled here in the United States,” Smith said. “But that doesn’t mean all the components are made here, so many of the components themselves are sourced from overseas.”

The price of used cars are likely to jump, too as supplies of lightly used vehicles dwindle. Some say consumers looking for a deal may already be too late.

Even those who already own a car will be affected.

On May 3, a tariff on foreign car parts: including engines, transmissions and electrical components is scheduled to go into effect.

WASHINGTON (AP) — DOGE’s days appear to be numbered.

Elon Musk recently suggested that he will be done with his work in the near future. President Donald Trump told reporters this week that “at some point, he’s going to be going back” to running his companies. As far as the Department of Government Efficiency, Trump said “it will end.”

All of that talk was before Musk faced a setback Tuesday in Wisconsin, where voters rejected his choice for a state Supreme Court candidate despite more than $21 million in personal donations and his campaign appearance over the weekend. There are more problems for the billionaire entrepreneur at Tesla, his electric automaker, which saw a 13% drop in sales in the first three months of the year.

The White House has not disclosed any clear timeline for closing down DOGE, and the government cost-cutting organization was never supposed to become a permanent fixture in Washington. But it could be reaching a conclusion faster than anticipated. DOGE was originally intended to operate until July 4, 2026.

Now there are signs that it already is winding down. DOGE employees have been shifted to various federal agencies, which are supposed to take the lead on cutting costs. Government-wide layoffs are underway to accomplish some of the goals laid out by Musk and Trump.

“We think probably over the next two or three months, we’ll be pretty much satisfied with the people that are working hard and want to be members of the administration,” Trump said last week.

The potential end of DOGE does not mean Trump will stop shaking up Washington. But it appears the administration’s efforts will be entering a new phase that is less focused on Musk, whose chain saw-wielding work as a presidential adviser made him a political lightning rod.

DOGE was initially envisioned as an independent advisory panel, with Musk sharing leadership with Vivek Ramaswamy, a biotech entrepreneur. Ramaswamy dropped out and is running for Ohio governor, and DOGE became part of the government. It was stocked with Musk’s allies, who were dispatched throughout the bureaucracy to cancel contracts, access sensitive data and push for cuts.

Musk presumably has a ticking clock on his tenure. He was hired as a special government employee, which means he can only work 130 days in a 365-day time period.

“I think we will have accomplished most of the work required to reduce the deficit by a trillion dollars within that time frame,” Musk told Bret Baier of Fox News on March 27. So far DOGE is well short of that target, according to its own calculations, which have been criticized as inflated and inaccurate.

Musk did not commit to leaving the administration by any particular date, and it is unclear how the administration is tracking Musk’s time. On May 30, it will be 130 days since Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20.

Trump told reporters on Monday in the Oval Office that “I’d keep him as long as I could keep him” and “he’s a very talented guy.”

The Republican president was known for explosive breakups with top advisers during his first term, but anyone hoping for such a split with Musk has been disappointed.

“I think he’s amazing, but I also think he’s got a big company to run,” Trump said. “And so, at some point, he’s going to be going back.”

Asked if DOGE would continue without Musk, Trump demurred. He said Cabinet officials have worked closely with Musk and may keep some of the DOGE people at their agencies.

“But at a certain point I think it will end,” Trump said.

Musk’s poll numbers lag behind Trump’s, which Democrats believe they were able to use to their advantage in Wisconsin.

Susan Crawford defeated Brad Schimel, who Musk supported, and ensured the state Supreme Court’s liberal majority.

In the closing days of that campaign, Musk described the race as “important for the future of civilization.” He struck a different tone afterward.

“I expected to lose, but there is value to losing a piece for a positional gain,” Musk wrote on X at 3:13 a.m.

Former D.C. Ward 8 Councilman Trayon White kicked off his reelection campaign Tuesday by collecting signatures from voters.

“Trayon White is Ward 8 make no mistake about that,” Ward 8 resident Darryl Williams said.

Signature by signature, White is trying to get his seat back on the D.C. Council after being expelled in February.

He filed to run in the special election earlier this week and started collecting signatures on Tuesday at the Giant on Alabama Avenue in Southeast. Several of his supporters showed up to sign.

“I’m signing for Mr. White because Mr. White for the people,” Ward 8 Resident Calvin Sullivan said.

“I’m getting on the ballot and we’re just going to continue to fight for equity and inclusion,” White said.

White was ousted shortly after he was arrested by the FBI, accused of taking tens of thousands of dollars in bribes in exchange for using his position on the council to influence contracts for the District’s violence interruption program.

When asked about these allegations, White told News4, “I’m innocent. I have not been convicted of anything,” White said. “We are maintaining our innocence, and we are continuing the fight each and every day so that we can continue to advocate for the people in Ward 8.”

About 20 others have filed for the open seat.

White needs 500 signatures to make it on to the ballot for the election July 15.

News4’s Mark Segraves pressed the Council Chair, Phil Mendelson, about what the council would do if White wins. Mendelson wouldn’t give an answer.

“Well, I totally get as media that you would like a definitive answer, but I can tell you just from my experience in government that events unfold over time, so there is no value in my speculating today,” Mendelson said.

White has the same question.

“I think he needs to be honest and truthful about what is he going to do,” he said.

The only way white can be disqualified from running is if he is convicted of a felony.

His criminal trial is not set to begin until January of next year.

White plans to be back at the Giant on Wednesday from 3-6 p.m. collecting signatures. The signatures have to be turned in by April 17.