Musk Is Positioned to Profit Off Billions in New Government Contracts

[Anonymous]

https://newjerseyglobe.com/congress/sherrill-asks-inspectors-general-to-investigate-musks-conflicts-of-interest/

Sherrill asks inspectors general to investigate Musk’s conflicts of interest
Congresswoman has donated prior contributions from Musk’s SpaceX to charity

By Joey Fox, March 21 2025 11:06 am

As Elon Musk becomes increasingly intertwined with the federal government’s operations via his Department of Government Efficiency, Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-Montclair) is asking the federal government’s watchdogs to take a closer look at the billionaire’s potential conflicts of interest.

In a letter sent today to inspectors general at eight different federal agencies and departments, Sherrill outlines her concerns about Musk holding such a large role in the Trump administration even as his own companies, such as SpaceX and Tesla, stand to financially benefit. One Washington Post analysis found that Musk and his companies have been the beneficiaries of $38 billion in federal government contracts and loans over the last 20 years.

“Managing a governmental body that is directly affecting an individual’s own personal finances is an unacceptable conflict of interest and degradation of the public trust,” Sherrill, a candidate for governor of New Jersey, states in the letter. “I ask that you review the actions of DOGE and Mr. Musk in your departments and agencies where there are potential conflicts of interest regarding Mr. Musk’s companies to ensure that improper or illegal behavior to benefit those companies has not taken place.”

The potential for conflicts of interest also arises in another key way, Sherrill argues: via federal agencies such as the National Labor Relations Board and the Securities and Exchange Commission that are responsible for investigating, and potentially penalizing, companies like Musk’s.

“Across a large number of agencies and regulatory bodies, the Trump Administration and DOGE have abruptly shifted federal policy to favor companies owned by Mr. Musk and limit the effectiveness of bodies actively investigating Mr. Musk,” Sherrill writes. “Given the lack of financial divestment by Mr. Musk or recusal from DOGE activities on the basis of conflicts of interest, these actions paint a disturbing picture whereby Mr. Musk is actively profiting from his role within the federal government.”

Sherrill is far from the first Democrat to target Musk as the Trump administration takes a hatchet to much of the federal government. Trump may have been elected nationwide, Democrats contend, but no voters elected Musk, and they’ve said they see little good that can come out of the world’s richest person having such a close involvement in government.

[Anonymous]

Trump is going to bankrupt our country while Elon pillages money along the way.

[Anonymous]

Boeing failed to become a competitor. SLS is a handout to the former shuttle contractors. So, the government tried, but as per usual, it failed to create a free market.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Trump is going to bankrupt our country while Elon pillages money along the way.

We should have a deduction on our paystubs--amount deducted to pay for billionaire endeavors.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Musk is going to make billions of dollars off of the backs of American taxpayer. DOGE has never been about govt efficiency-it’s about enriching Elon Musk and getting rid of agencies that could stand in the way of his business interests or which didn’t enrich the pockets of the GOP elite.

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/23/us/politics/spacex-contracts-musk-doge-trump.html

Within the Trump administration’s Defense Department, Elon Musk’s SpaceX rocketry is being trumpeted as the nifty new way the Pentagon could move military cargo rapidly around the globe.

In the Commerce Department, SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet service will now be fully eligible for the federal government’s $42 billion rural broadband push, after being largely shut out during the Biden era.

At NASA, after repeated nudges by Mr. Musk, the agency is being squeezed to turn its focus to Mars, allowing SpaceX to pursue federal contracts to deliver the first humans to the distant planet.

And at the Federal Aviation Administration and the White House itself, Starlink satellite dishes have recently been installed, to expand federal government internet access.

Mr. Musk, as the architect of a group he called the Department of Government Efficiency, has taken a chain saw to the apparatus of governing, spurring chaos and dread by pushing out some 100,000 federal workers and shutting down various agencies, though the government has not been consistent in explaining the expanse of his power.

But in selected spots across the government, SpaceX is positioning itself to see billions of dollars in new federal contracts or other support, a dozen current and former federal officials said in interviews with The New York Times.

He actually has at least one contract already for this:https://www.space.com/spacex-air-force-102-million-dollar-contract-rocket-transport 2022
Obviously, he is using our taxpayer money as R&D for his own obsession with colonizing Mars.
I am deeply skeptical about the concept. There's real concerns about environmental and climate harm from rockets, and to turn them into routine cargo would probably have devastating effects. The practical obstacles are huge.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Trump is going to bankrupt our country while Elon pillages money along the way.

That’s the plan.

Hopefully the cheeseburgers and ketamine will catch up to them sooner rather than later.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Boeing failed to become a competitor. SLS is a handout to the former shuttle contractors. So, the government tried, but as per usual, it failed to create a free market.

I'm not sure that stuff like space programs and the military are ever expected to be a "free market." Something like Amazon could burn money for years because of the eventual market it saw. That's not the intent of the military or anything space-related that is not totally commercial. Military no-bid contracts have soared in the last couple of decades.

Because this is not really a marketplace, all the more reason it requires close scrutiny and accountability.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Trump is going to bankrupt our country while Elon pillages money along the way.

That’s the plan.

Hopefully the cheeseburgers and ketamine will catch up to them sooner rather than later.

Vance embraces the ideology and the money Musk brings. Peter Thiel bought him a Senator seat. We're doomed either way.

[Anonymous]

They're not even trying to avoid conflicts of interest for him...
https://www.nytimes.com/live/2025/03/24/us/trump-news#trump-supreme-court-probationary-workers
The praise for Elon Musk was a marked change from the last cabinet gathering, which turned contentions when officials challenged Musk. No reporters were present at that meeting earlier in the month.

“Elon’s a patriot,” Trump said at the end of Monday’s meeting. “We want to thank you very much for the job you’re doing.” The whole cabinet then applauded for Musk.

[Anonymous]

Not sure if I trust musk. But the rural broadband is desperately needed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They're not even trying to avoid conflicts of interest for him...
https://www.nytimes.com/live/2025/03/24/us/trump-news#trump-supreme-court-probationary-workers
The praise for Elon Musk was a marked change from the last cabinet gathering, which turned contentions when officials challenged Musk. No reporters were present at that meeting earlier in the month.

“Elon’s a patriot,” Trump said at the end of Monday’s meeting. “We want to thank you very much for the job you’re doing.” The whole cabinet then applauded for Musk.

Nope not at all. No rules on conflict of interests. No rules on financial disclosures. No rules on using your public office to influence a particular company. No rules on ethics or records management. It’s a feature of this admin not a bug. Sad for Democracy.

[Anonymous]

How much is Trump's kickback?

[Anonymous]

Musk already has the DOJ in his pocket and willing to do his bidding...
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/03/23/bondi-jasmine-crockett-musk-tesla-protests-00244256
Pam Bondi warns Jasmine Crockett to ‘tread very carefully’ in what she says about Elon Musk