The information comes out while Musk’s Doge makes deep cuts in various federal forces
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- The Washington Post indicates that SpaceX and Tesla have received billions of public funds over the years.
- He underlines the very real and clear conflicts of interest between this and the current role of Elon Musk in the government.
Over the past twenty years, companies led by Elon Musk have received at least $ 38 billion in government funding. This is the point to take the head of a new Washington Post The functionality, which underlines how “government infusions at key moments helped Tesla and SpaceX to prosper”.
The details are quite clear. These brands, and Musc himself, would probably not be where they are today without such support. At the same time, none of this should surprise anyone.
Read: the refusal of the administrator of Trump of $ 400 million Tesla Deal Tesla contradicted by new documents
The piece describes how Elon Musk brands have greatly benefited over the years. Sometimes, without government funding in the form of loans, subsidies, contracts or tax credits, it is suggested that one or the other could have failed. Musk would have exploited several different agencies, including EPA, NASA and others so that fluid liquidity. Of course, it is also clear that almost two thirds of the $ 38 billion promised to Tesla and SpaceX have arrived in the past five years, Above all under the Biden administration.
Of course, it should also be noted in all this that Musk companies that take advantage of government programs are all perfectly legal and above the board of directors. What people seem to be upset is that Musk would be open to calling excessive spending by the government and somewhat reduce jobs and federal agency positions while accepting the financing of it at the same time. These same people do not seem to understand that the two things do not exclude each other.
In fact, the American government distributes money to all kinds of automotive companies each year, regardless of political trends. In 2024, he granted Ford a loan of $ 9.6 billion (more than in Tesla and SpaceX combined last year) to build EV battery factories. The Government of Michigan itself fell $ 7 billion on GM in 2022 and we did not even discuss cash in cash during the 2008 financial crisis.
Strangely, the piece also calls Tesla’s benefits due to the sale of regulatory credits, which is capable of doing because it meets or exceeds certain standards. In fact, to go further, he can only sell these credits because other car manufacturers fail miserably to comply with these same standards.
If anything, it could be considered as proof that Musk really believes in his work (on personal gain) to the point that, according to Wapo, he “sought to reduce staff, reduce budgets or reduce contracts in the seven agencies where musk companies have in progress contracts”.
In the end, it is clear that there are real tangible questions surrounding conflicts of interest and hypocrisy here. Musk would be the one who decides where these conflicts are found, then hold relationships with these activities within Doge.
Frankly, however, conflicts of interest and hypocrisy were the main characteristic of all government. Whatever his intentions, his desires or his future actions, this whole situation proves that the landscapes can change quickly. It may not be more obvious than in the political landscape.
