Elon Musk is facing growing backlash from Fox News’ Jessica Tarlov over how much money his companies are getting from the federal government, all while federal programs are being slashed and workers are being laid off.
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$8 Million a Day While Others Get Cut
Tarlov, co-host of Fox News’ “The Five,” took aim at Musk on-air last week, saying, “Let’s also talk about the clear failure of DOGE based on their own set goals. We started at $2 trillion, then we moved to $1 trillion. Now we’re at $160 billion.” Tarlov was referring to the so-called Department of Government Efficiency and said that if a private consulting firm performed like this, they'd be fired.
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“The real story of DOGE is that Elon Musk, who has $38 billion in government contracts, has not had a penny of his money touched while he’s going around cutting other people’s contracts,” she added.
Tarlov pointed to a recent congressional report showing Musk could face $2.37 billion in potential fines across 11 agencies. Yet, she said, the people investigating those claims are the ones being laid off.
“If that doesn’t smell like corruption, I don’t know what does,” she said.
Democrats Echo the Concerns
During a February House hearing on government efficiency, Rep. Greg Casar (D-TX) raised identical concerns. “You know what Elon Musk doesn’t seem to be looking into? His own contracts,” Casar said. “We’re not looking into Elon Musk’s $8 million a day. This subcommittee chaired by Marjorie Taylor Greene and the House Republicans is looking into your grandmother’s $65 a day.”
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Casar accused Musk and President Donald Trump of firing inspectors general, the officials typically tasked with holding agencies accountable. He called Musk’s role as head of DOGE a major conflict of interest.
Musk Responds
Musk pushed back at criticism during a February press conference, saying his companies win contracts based on merit and cost savings. “First of all, I'm not the one filing the contract. It's people at SpaceX or something will be putting for the contract,” he said. “And I'd like to say if you see any contract where it was awarded to SpaceX and it wasn't by far the best value for money for the taxpayer, let me know, because every one of them was.”
SpaceX President and COO Gwynne Shotwell confirmed in November that the company holds $22 billion in government contracts.
Federal Cuts, Fewer Investigators
At the same time, Democrats say Musk is overseeing massive cuts to federal programs. $80 million in FEMA funds meant to help New York with migrant assistance was pulled. Government employees have also been fired for participating in diversity training programs, even if those sessions took place during Trump's previous term.
Tarlov summed it up plainly: “He makes, I think, $8 million a day while 20,000 federal workers are getting fired.”
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