According to a report from The Washington Post, the Federal Aviation Administration is planning to dump a $2.4 billion contract with Verizon for a communications system key to the national air traffic control system in exchange for a contract with Starlink, which is owned by Elon Musk.
The move comes as Musk and his so-called Department of Government Efficient have been empowered by President Donald Trump to attack federal infrastructure. The Post noted that the expected contract switch at the FAA “would be an especially extraordinary step for the typically cautious FAA, whose systems are vital to the safety of millions of air travelers every day.”
Democratic Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Texas, who has emerged as a leading congressional critic of Trump and Musk’s activities, slammed the pending agreement.
“Did y'all hear about Elon Musk new $2 BILLION FAA contract? Conflict of interest . . .👀,” she wrote on Bluesky. Crockett also noted continual silence from Republican leadership in the House and Senate, who are tasked by the Constitution with providing oversight of executive branch activities.
“Instead of Republicans taking jobs and programs away, they need to be investigating this—but OH RIGHT—they report to King Musk.”
Trump signed an executive order on Wednesday to give DOGE even more power to interfere in government work, instructing agencies to work with DOGE officials to comb through contracts and grants.
Salvage crews work on Feb. 6 to recover wreckage near the site of a mid-air collision between a passenger jet and a Black Hawk helicopter at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
A team of staffers from Musk’s company SpaceX (which is the parent company to Starlink) were recently dispatched to the FAA at the behest of former “Real World” contestant turned Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, adding to the web of entangling connections involving billions of tax dollars and airline safety. Duffy said in a Feb. 16 release the SpaceX team would be traveling to the FAA’s air traffic control center in Washington, D.C.
Duffy failed to disclose the possible financial implications of SpaceX’s actions and how it could lead to a windfall for Musk, who is the richest person alive.
At the same time, the Trump administration has laid off FAA staffers and put a stop to the agency’s diversity-based recruitment efforts, despite an ongoing shortage of air traffic controllers. Recent airline incidents, including the tragic crash near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport that Trump blamed on diversity, have put a spotlight on air safety in recent weeks.
Trump has made clear that he is reluctant to take action on Musk’s conflicts of interest. In a recent interview with Fox News, Trump said the multibillionaire who bankrolled his campaign would be free to police himself on that front.
Over the years, Musk has taken in tens of billions in government welfare to prop up his companies, and much of his fortune was based on investments at taxpayer expense. Under the Trump administration, it appears that Musk will be given a free pass to further enrich himself.
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