On 26 February 2025, as Musk led DOGE’s cuts, the Washington Post tallied at least $38 billion in government contracts, loans, subsidies and tax credits to his companies since 2003. The figure excludes classified work. The Post found a further $11.8 billion could flow from existing contracts. [1]
The biggest piece is purchases. NASA’s commercial program paid SpaceX to develop Falcon 9 and Dragon, and NASA and the Pentagon then bought launches, cargo and crew flights. NASA’s history of that program records about $396 million in agency development money alongside about $454 million from the company. [2][5]
Tesla’s main federal help was a $465 million Energy Department loan in 2010, repaid with interest in 2013. Tesla has also benefited from consumer EV tax credits and state incentives, and it earns money selling regulatory credits to other carmakers. [3][1]
Not every award paid out. Starlink won about $885.5 million in a 2020 rural-broadband auction, but the FCC rejected its application and reaffirmed the denial in December 2023. [4]
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