WaPo, but it’s an exclusive 🤷🏼♀️ #GiftArticle
#ElonMusk’s business empire is built on $38B in #GovernmentFunding
Govt infusions at key moments helped #Tesla & #SpaceX flourish, boosting Musk’s #wealth
#Musk & his cost-cutting US #DOGE Service team have been on a mission to trim govt largesse. Yet Musk is one of the greatest beneficiaries of the taxpayers’ coffers.
#hypocrisy #USpol #law #economy #business #finance #tech #FederalAgencies #FederalWorkers #kleptocracy
https://wapo.st/41uIOJ4
Over the years, #Musk & his businesses have received AT LEAST $38B in US govt contracts, loans, subsidies & tax credits, often at critical moments,…helping seed the growth that has made him the world’s richest person.
The payments stretch back >20yrs. Shortly after becoming CEO of a cash-strapped #Tesla in 2008, #ElonMusk fought hard to secure a low-interest #loan from the #Energy Dept,…holding daily briefings w/company execs about paperwork & spending hours w/a govt loan officer.
When #Tesla realized it was missing a crucial EPA certification it needed to qualify for the #loan days before Christmas, #Musk went straight to the top, urging then-EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson to intervene, acc/to people who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of #retribution.
Nearly ⅔ of the $38B in funds have been promised to Musk’s businesses in the past 5yrs.
In 2024 alone, federal & local govts committed at least $6.3B to Musk’s companies, the highest total to date.
