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Musk took Trump while Tesla benefits from Harris

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Musk took Trump while Tesla benefits from Harris

With billions in federal contracts at stake for SpaceX and Tesla, Elon Musk’s potential for serious conflicts of interest threatens democracy as we know it.

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Elon Musk’s recent political maneuvers are not only questionable, but a blatant attempt to use his influence for personal gain.

With billions in federal contracts at stake for his SpaceX and Tesla, the potential for serious conflicts of interest threatens democracy as we know it.

The CEO is known for being adventurous and visionary, but his latest policy moves are raising ethical eyebrows, and rightly so.

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Musk gave $75 million in just three months to a pro-Trump political action committee he created, concentrating on voter turnout in battleground states. He has also appeared at former President Donald Trump’s re-election campaign rallies.

And now he’s taken the legally questionable step of promising to deliver a $1 million check every day to a registered voter who signs an online petition and lives in one of seven swing states.

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In July, Musk used his social media platform, X, to endorse Trump for president.

Under normal circumstances, a celebrity endorsing a political candidate doesn’t raise red flags. However, the billionaire’s endorsement along with his companies’ lucrative federal contracts ‒ and Trump’s suggestion that Musk should get involved in a new government efficiency commission if re-elected ‒ creates a conflict of ‘flagrant interests, which could be interpreted as a strategic move to ensure. continued government funding.

SpaceX receives billions from the federal government

NASA and Musk’s SpaceX are collaborating under the Space Act agreement. The partnership, developed a decade ago, provides the US space program with the means to frequently and reliably launch satellites and send crews on scientific missions.

SpaceX, in turn, receives billions of dollars in payments from the federal government.

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Musk’s electric vehicle company is also thriving on government funding. This year, Tesla won 14% of the contracts awarded to build charging stations with the support of the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Formula Program, also known as NEVI.

Interestingly, the Biden-Harris administration enacted NEVI.

Trump has criticized electric vehicles and government subsidies for them throughout his campaign. He has even said he would consider eliminating tax credits for electric vehicles. So why would Musk endorse a political leader whose policies could seriously harm one of his core businesses?

Musk’s political stance is a stark reminder of how corporate interests can manipulate public policy and taxpayer resources for profit. The implications go beyond Musk and Trump, raising broader ethical concerns about the integrity of public-private partnerships.

If corporate figures can use their influence to keep or expand government contracts, it erodes public trust in a system that should prioritize fairness over favoritism. Policymakers must enact stronger safeguards against conflicts of interest to preserve the integrity of government funding and protect democracy from the corrosive effects of unchecked corporate power.

Marla Bautista is a military columnist for USA TODAY Opinion.

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