Elon Musk, the richest man in the world, will be a major political player no matter who wins the presidential election.
Elon Musk’s influence over the federal government is extraordinary, and extraordinarily lucrative.
Mr. Musk’s rocket company, SpaceX, effectively dictates NASA’s rocket launch schedule. The Defense Department relies on him to get most of its satellites to orbit. His companies were promised $3 billion across nearly 100 different contracts last year with 17 federal agencies.
Federal Contracts
Two of Elon Musk’s companies account for at least $15.4 billion in government contracts over the past decade.
CABINET
DEPARTMENTS
Energy
$7,000
State
$440,000
Commerce
$1.9 million
Veterans Affairs
$463,000
At least
$352,000
in contracts
Interior
$138,000
Homeland Sec.
$359,000
Federal
contracts
Agriculture
$120,000
Transportation
$21,000
Defense
$3.6 billion
INDEPENDENT
AGENCIES
General Serv.
Administration
$352,000
Environmental
Protection
Agency
At least
$15.4 billion
in contracts
$30,000
NASA
$11.8 billion
CABINET DEPARTMENTS
Energy
$7,000
State
$440,000
At least
$352,000
in contracts
Commerce
$1.9 million
Veterans Affairs
$463,000
Interior
Federal
contracts
$138,000
Homeland Security
$359,000
Agriculture
$120,000
Transportation
$21,000
Defense
$3.6 billion
INDEPENDENT AGENCIES
General Services
Administration
At least
$15.4 billion
in contracts
$352,000
Environmental
Protection Agency
$30,000
NASA
$11.8 billion
By Jonathan Corum
His entanglements with federal regulators are also numerous and adversarial. His companies have been targeted in at least 20 recent investigations or reviews, including over the safety of his Tesla cars and the environmental damage caused by his rockets.
Investigation and Oversight
Mr. Musk’s companies are increasingly facing regulatory battles and overlapping federal investigations from all corners of the government.
CABINET
DEPARTMENTS
Transportation
Investigations
Investigations
Justice
OSHA violations
Oversight
Labor
Lawsuit
Enforcement
Interior
Investigation
Agriculture
Violations, fines
Lawsuit
INDEPENDENT
AGENCIES
OSHA violations
Starbase review
National Labor
Relations Board
Violation
Oversight
Equal Employment
Opportunity Comm.
Environmental
Protection Agency
Violations, fines
Investigation
Securities and
Exchange Comm.
Federal
Communications
Comm.
Investigations,
court order
Federal Trade
Comm.
Oversight,
consent decree
CABINET DEPARTMENTS
Transportation
Investigations
Investigations
Justice
OSHA violations
Oversight
Labor
Lawsuit
Enforcement
Interior
Investigation
Agriculture
Violations, fines
Discrimination suit
INDEPENDENT AGENCIES
OSHA violations
National Labor
Relations Board
Starbase review
Violation
Oversight,
rejected subsidies
Equal Employment
Opportunity Comm.
Environmental
Protection Agency
Violations, fines
Securities and
Exchange Comm.
Investigation
Federal
Communications
Comm.
Investigations,
court order
Federal Trade
Comm.
Oversight,
consent decree
By Jonathan Corum
Given Mr. Musk’s immense business footprint, he will be a major player no matter who wins the election.
But he has thrown his fortune and power behind former President Donald J. Trump and, in return, Mr. Trump has vowed to make Mr. Musk head of a new “government efficiency commission” with the power to recommend wide-ranging cuts at federal agencies and changes to federal rules.
Rockets, Cars and Satellites
Some examples of the services that Mr. Musk’s companies provide to the U.S. government.
Energy
State
Commerce
Veterans Affairs
Interior
Homeland Sec.
Agriculture
Transportation
Defense
G.S.A.
E.P.A.
$2.2 billion
NASA
Energy
State
Commerce
Veterans Affairs
Interior
Homeland Security
Agriculture
Transportation
Defense
G.S.A.
$2.2 billion
E.P.A.
NASA
Energy
State
Commerce
Veterans Affairs
Interior
Homeland Sec.
Agriculture
Transportation
Defense
$25,000
G.S.A.
E.P.A.
NASA
Energy
State
Commerce
Veterans Affairs
Interior
Homeland Security
Agriculture
$25,000
Transportation
Defense
G.S.A.
E.P.A.
NASA
Energy
State
Commerce
$57,800
Veterans Affairs
Interior
Homeland Sec.
Agriculture
Transportation
Defense
G.S.A.
E.P.A.
NASA
Energy
State
$57,800
Commerce
Veterans Affairs
Interior
Homeland Security
Agriculture
Transportation
Defense
G.S.A.
E.P.A.
NASA
Energy
State
Commerce
Veterans Affairs
Interior
Homeland Sec.
Agriculture
Transportation
Defense
$120,000
G.S.A.
E.P.A.
NASA
Energy
State
Commerce
Veterans Affairs
Interior
Homeland Security
Agriculture
$120,000
Transportation
Defense
G.S.A.
E.P.A.
NASA
The same diagram from above depicts the connections between Mr. Musk’s companies and the many cabinet departments and federal agencies with whom the companies have contracts.
SpaceX was hired to design, build and test a space landing system for astronauts.
SpaceX sold Starlink satellite internet to the U.S. embassy in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, providing access to U.S. officials in a country that severely censors online activity.
Tesla provided a tactical vehicle to the U.S. embassy in Iceland.
And the U.S. Forestry Service used Starlinks to connect emergency responders battling wildfires in remote parts of California.
By Jonathan Corum
Fines and FIghting
Several examples of clashes between U.S. agencies and Mr. Musk’s companies.
CABINET
DEPARTMENTS
Transportation
Justice
Labor
Interior
Agriculture
INDEPENDENT
AGENCIES
N.L.R.B.
E.E.O.C.
E.P.A.
S.E.C.
F.C.C.
F.T.C.
CABINET DEPARTMENTS
Transportation
Justice
Labor
Interior
Agriculture
INDEPENDENT AGENCIES
N.L.R.B.
E.E.O.C.
E.P.A.
S.E.C.
F.C.C
F.T.C.
CABINET
DEPARTMENTS
Transportation
Justice
Labor
Interior
Agriculture
INDEPENDENT
AGENCIES
N.L.R.B.
E.E.O.C.
E.P.A.
S.E.C.
F.C.C.
F.T.C.
CABINET DEPARTMENTS
Transportation
Justice
Labor
Interior
Agriculture
INDEPENDENT AGENCIES
N.L.R.B.
E.E.O.C.
E.P.A.
S.E.C.
F.C.C
F.T.C.
CABINET
DEPARTMENTS
Transportation
Justice
Labor
Interior
Agriculture
INDEPENDENT
AGENCIES
N.L.R.B.
E.E.O.C.
E.P.A.
S.E.C.
F.C.C.
F.T.C.
CABINET DEPARTMENTS
Transportation
Justice
Labor
Interior
Agriculture
INDEPENDENT AGENCIES
N.L.R.B.
E.E.O.C.
E.P.A.
S.E.C.
F.C.C
F.T.C.
CABINET
DEPARTMENTS
Transportation
Justice
Labor
Interior
Agriculture
INDEPENDENT
AGENCIES
N.L.R.B.
E.E.O.C.
E.P.A.
S.E.C.
F.C.C.
F.T.C.
CABINET DEPARTMENTS
Transportation
Justice
Labor
Interior
Agriculture
INDEPENDENT AGENCIES
N.L.R.B.
E.E.O.C.
E.P.A.
S.E.C.
F.C.C
F.T.C.
Similar to an earlier diagram, this one again shows connecting lines Mr. Musk’s companies and the cabinet departments and federal agencies that have opened investigations and other reviews of the companies.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has opened five investigations of Tesla, including for complaints of unexpected braking, loss of steering control and crashes while cars were in “self-driving” mode.
Tesla has tried to block at least two rulings from the National Labor Relations Board, including one punishing Mr. Musk for tweeting that factory workers would lose stock options if they joined a union.
Neuralink, Mr. Musk’s brain-implant company, was fined for violating Transportation Department rules regarding the movement of hazardous materials.
The Justice Department sued SpaceX, arguing that the company refused to hire refugees and asylum seekers because of their citizenship status.
By Jonathan Corum
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Source: nytimes.com
