Judith Sheppard

How deep are Elon Musk’s ties to the U.S. government?
Let’s talk rockets, roadways, and big money. Buckle up.


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1/
SpaceX + NASA (since 2006):

$278M for Falcon 9 & Dragon

$1.6B to resupply the ISS

$4.93B for astronaut missions
Your tax dollars, his launchpads.



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2/
SpaceX + the Military:

$82.7M Air Force GPS launch

$316M for satellite launches

$102M Rocket Cargo program

$70M Starshield satellite comms
SpaceX isn’t just sci-fi—it’s national security.



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3/
Tesla's federal perks:

$465M government loan (2009)

Over $4B in regulatory credit sales

~$4B in EV tax credits for buyers
Going green made Tesla a lot of green.



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4/
Ethical flags fly high:

Musk helped vet Air Force Secretary candidates

Co-founded “DOGE” (Dept. of Government Efficiency) under Trump—cut spending, sparked controversy



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5/
TL;DR:
Elon Musk has been on federal contracts since 2006.
Innovation? Yes.
Public-private power? Also yes.
Now ask yourself—how much influence is too much?

20 hours ago | [YT] | 0