White House reviews SpaceX contracts when Trump’s Plain Spat loses steam: Report
President Trump explained how Tesla CEO Elon Musk was on the loop with plans to abolish EV mandates.
The White House earlier this month directed the Department of Defense and NASA to gather information on billions of dollars SpaceX Contract Reports say after the release between President Donald Trump and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk.
The Trump administration has ordered the agency to scrutinise mask contracts to prepare for possible retaliation against the billionaire tech executive and his company, Reuters reported citing people familiar with the matter.
Pentagon officials are simultaneously considering whether SpaceX will reduce the role it can secure in the new US “Golden Dome” missile defense system.
It is unclear whether the White House plans to cancel any of the approximately $22 billion in the federal contract for SpaceX. However, this review shows that during spat with masks last week, Trump is based on threats from Trump to end mask businesses and subsidies.
Trump reveals “surprising” moments friendship with Musk begins to unravel
The White House earlier this month directed the Department of Defense and NASA to gather information about the SpaceX contract after the release between President Donald Trump and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk. (Chesnot/Getty Images/Getty Images)
“We’ll look at everything,” Trump told reporters on June 6, aboard Air Force 1.
A White House spokesman dodged questions from Reuters about the mask business, saying the administration is “committed to a strict review process of all bids and contracts.”
A NASA spokesperson said the agency will “continue to work with industry partners to ensure that the president’s goals in space are met.”
Those familiar with the order told Reuters that scrutiny of the contract aims to give the administration the ability to act quickly if a decision is made by Trump. Punish MuskDirector of the Government’s Efficiency and Senior Advisor to the President before his recent departure from the federal government.
The review was “for political ammunition,” one of the people told the outlet.
Pentagon officials are also considering whether SpaceX will reduce the role it can secure in the new US “Golden Dome” missile defense system. (Getty Images/Getty Images)
It remains to be seen whether the federal government can legally or in fact cancel existing contracts. However, that possibility has sparked concern among governance experts that politics and personal resentment can inappropriately affect issues that affect government money, national security and the public interest.
“There’s the irony here that Musk’s contract could be under the same type of subjective political scrutiny as he and his Doge team have signed thousands of other contracts,” Scott Amey, contract expert and legal counsel for the WatchDog Group project on government oversight, told Reuters. “The decision should be based not on the ego of two men, but on the best interests of public and national security.”
In recent years, SpaceX has become an important partner of the US government in much of its aerospace and defense, including the launch of satellites and other space cargoes and the possibility of managing key elements of Trump’s planned “Golden Dome” missile shield.
Musk recently tried to bring back some of his attacks on Trump. Trump’s bullet each He then alleged that the president was in the Justice Department’s file regarding an investigation into defendant Jeffrey Epstein.
How much did Tesla and SpaceX benefit from government funds?
It is unclear whether the White House plans to cancel any of the approximately $22 billion in the federal contract for SpaceX. (Alisha Jucevic/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
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Musk and Trump mitigated the fight against each other this week after trading attacks over Musk’s criticism of President of his “big beautiful” spending bill last week.
Despite the feud, Musk’s attack on Trump has highlighted the federal government’s reliance on SpaceX.
Musk initially threatened to abolish the company’s dragon spacecraft amid a rift with Trump before turning the course back. As part of a roughly $5 billion contract with NASA, the spacecraft is currently the only US vessel capable of transporting astronauts to the International Space Station.
SpaceX also built a network of hundreds of spy satellites under a classified agreement with the US National Reconnaissance Agency, deepening its relationship with the US defense and intelligence agency.
Reuters contributed to this report.