Conservatives have long talked about cutting government, but Republicans in Congress have shied away from approving deep reductions because of fear of how voters would react.

At a mostly friendly closed-door meeting, the billionaire carrying out President Trump’s bid to shrink the federal bureaucracy fielded queries about how senators could be more involved in the effort.

Republican senators told tech billionaire Elon Musk at a closed-door meeting Wednesday that his aggressive moves to shrink the federal government will need a vote on Capitol Hill, sending a clear