The State Department had been in talks with Elon Musk's Tesla company to buy armored electric vehicles, but the plans have been put on hold by the Trump administration after reports emerged about a potential $400-million purchase.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal is calling for a response from the U.S. State Department after reports surfaced about $400 million worth of contracts for armored vehicles produced by Tesla.

The discovery originated on a State Department spreadsheet of contractor bidding opportunities for 2025 that was released in December. One spreadsheet row said, "Armored Tesla (Production Units)" with a contract value between $100 million and $500 million.