So, like, Elon Musk and his companies had to deal with a bunch of potential fines and penalties, totaling a whopping $2.37 billion, when Trump became president. This info comes from a report released by some Senate committee on Monday, led by Sen. Richard Blumenthal. They’re all worried about how Musk’s cost-cutting ways might be causing some conflicts of interest with the government. The report, which is like 43 pages long, goes into detail about Musk’s involvement with Trump and this group called DOGE, which is all about making the government more efficient or whatever.
According to the report, Musk and his companies were facing at least 65 actions from 11 different federal agencies, with 40 of them potentially costing $2.37 billion. The memo basically accuses Musk of not caring about the law or the people who rely on government programs, saying he’s just in it for the money and to get rid of anything that gets in his way. They mention how Musk’s companies have received over $38 billion in government stuff over the years, with SpaceX alone having $10.1 billion in federal contracts. Crazy, right?
The memo goes on to say that Trump really picked a guy with a ton of conflicts of interest. They’re calling on the president and other government agencies to do something about Musk’s influence on federal governance. But, like, the White House is denying everything, saying Musk has never used his position for personal gain. They’re basically saying Blumenthal is just hating on Musk because he’s got a thing against Trump.
Blumenthal sent letters to Tesla, SpaceX, and a bunch of other Musk-related companies, asking for more info on any federal investigations or legal actions they’re involved in. They also want to know what these companies are doing to deal with any conflicts of interest related to Musk. But surprise, surprise, none of the companies responded to the emails. Typical.
Musk has said in the past that he’d step back if there was a conflict of interest, but who really knows if that’s true. Last week, he mentioned he was focusing more on Tesla and less on DOGE, but he’s still gonna be involved in the cost-cutting stuff for Trump’s entire term. Tesla has been struggling lately, with profits dropping and the stock price tanking because of Trump’s tariffs and all the drama surrounding Musk’s ties to the administration.
The committee’s report singles out Tesla as the company with the most potential penalties, totaling $1.89 billion. A big chunk of that is because of some shady stuff going on with Autopilot and Full-Self Driving Features. There’s even talk of a criminal investigation by the Department of Justice about false statements made by Musk and Tesla about these features. And don’t even get me started on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration looking into the Full-Self Driving tech after some accidents. It’s a whole mess.
But wait, there’s more! Apparently, Neuralink is also in hot water for overstating the safety of its implants and causing the deaths of monkeys. Like, what? And there’s this whole thing with Musk not disclosing his stake in Twitter on time, potentially saving him millions. The list goes on and on with fines, investigations, and lawsuits against Musk’s companies.
In the end, the committee is calling for action to address Musk’s role in all these federal issues. They want audits of contracts and awards given to Musk’s companies, especially ones involving the Department of Defense and NASA. They’re basically saying no one, no matter how rich or powerful, should be above the law. It’s a wild ride, folks. Let’s see where it goes next.
