A former member of the National Economic Council under Biden asked if anyone can “think of another way to save over $38 billion that doesn’t involve vandalizing agencies.”
Musk Fires Thousands of Public Workers
While Pocketing $38 Billion in Taxpayer Gifts
Eloise Goldsmith / Common Dreams
(February 26, 2025) — A group of Washington Post journalists on Wednesday published what appears to be the most comprehensive readout to date of the government contracts, loans, subsidies, and tax credits that the companies of Elon Musk, who has helped carry out the Trump administration’s punishing cuts to government personnel, have secured over the past two decades.
The world’s richest man is also “one of the greatest beneficiaries of the taxpayers’ coffers,” per the Post, which reported that Musk’s various companies received at least $38 billion from the U.S. government since 2006—prompting a number of observers to argue that cutting off this spigot ought to be the focus of government saving efforts.
Tim Wu, who worked on competition policy at the National Economic Council under former President Joe Biden, shared the Post’s reporting and wrote: “Can anyone think of another way to save over $38 billion that doesn’t involve vandalizing agencies.”
Since Trump was inaugurated, Elon Musk has helped oversee personnel cuts carried out by the Department of Government Efficiency, an advisory group. Just last week, federal workers received an Musk-backed order, asking them to detail their work in an email or face termination.
So far, the Trump administration has culled some 30,000 federal employees, according to an analysis from Bloomberg Law.
In the public eye, Musk is also closely associated with the effort to slash government spending and personnel. Musk recently appeared on stage at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), brandishing a chainsaw that was given to him by Argentine President Javier Milei—a nod to Milei’s “chainsaw plan” to slash public spending and implement austerity measures.
One Democratic lawmaker used the CPAC gimmick to highlight Musk’s own hypocrisy. “Chainsaw anyone? They’re on sale at Home Depot,” wrote Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) on X. She included a link to the Post’s article and also wrote that “Musk’s business empire is built on $38 billion in government funding.’
Rep. Greg Casar (D-Texas), who has previously criticized Musk for benefiting from government funds while working to scale back government, also posted the Post’s reporting and highlighted other recent reporting that, in Casar’s words, show “Trump & Elon are corrupt.”
The Post’s analysis notes that the government contracts, loans, subsidies, and tax credits helped “seed the growth” that eventually turned Musk into the world’s richest man. The $38 billion is likely an undercount because the analysis does not include classified defense and intelligence work for the government, and an additional 52 ongoing contracts with various agencies are slated to potentially pay Musk’s ventures an additional $11.8 billion over the next few years.
The electric vehicle company Tesla in particular, according to the Post, benefited from the government’s largesse in its path to profitability.
Further Reading
Federal Judge Rules Trump Mass Firing Order Was ‘Illegal’ and ‘Should Be Stopped’
The Office of Personnel Management “does not have any authority whatsoever under any statute in the history of the universe to hire and fire employees at another agency,” wrote Judge William Alsup.
‘Let’s Bring in the Real Secretary’: Sanders Wants Elon Musk to Appear for Senate Hearing
“Let us understand that reality and not play along with this charade,” the Senate HELP committee ranking member said before a vote on the labor secretary nominee.
GOP Blocks Sanders Attempt to Pass $2,400 Increase in Social Security Benefits
“Instead of cutting Social Security and giving tax breaks to billionaires, Congress must expand Social Security so that every senior in America can retire with the dignity and the respect that he or she deserves,” said Sen. Bernie Sanders.
‘Irreparable Harm’: Supreme Court Sides With Trump in Bid to Pause USAID Payments Order
“The lengths to which the government is going to flout a court order, all for the goal of ending lifesaving humanitarian assistance, is staggering,” said the director of Public Citizen Litigation Group.
In Viral Campaign, Anti-Musk UK Group Urges Public: ‘Don’t Buy a Swasticar’
The Tesla, promises an advertisement posted in London, “goes from zero to 1939 in three seconds.”
Official Installed by Trump Moves to ‘Demolish’ Social Security Administration
“This is nothing more than a backdoor benefit cut and an insult to Americans who have paid into the system and earned their Social Security—all to pay for trillions in new tax cuts for the wealthy,” said Democratic Rep. John Larson.
Ignoring ‘Science and the Law,’ Trump EPA Readies Chainsaw for Key Climate Finding
“Lee Zeldin is willing to go so far as to break established law to pay back the corporate executives and polluters who spent millions to get Donald Trump elected,” said one climate leader.
Republicans Told to ‘Stop Cowering’ From Voters as They Back Unpopular Medicaid Cuts
“We expect every Republican who voted for the budget resolution to hold a town hall during recess on what parts of Medicaid and SNAP they want to cut,” said the national director of the Working Families Party.
‘Showing You Exactly Who They’re Working For,’ GOP Votes to Gut Medicaid for Tax Cuts
“House Republicans have ignored the demands of their constituents and instead chosen to side with their billionaire donors.”
Consumer Confidence Index Nosedives After Month of Trump Presidency
“No federal government has ever before threatened government workers with mass firings,” said one economic analyst, “and it is starting to scare the daylights out of consumer.”
GOP Plows Ahead With Budget That Would Slash Medicaid, Food Benefits for Millions
“In this bill, Republicans are saying the quiet part out loud: Billionaires, big companies, and special interests not only deserve a tax break, but that it should be paid for by everyday Americans.”
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