Democrats on the House Oversight Committee are reportedly gearing up to target tech billionaire Elon Musk over his multi-million-dollar campaign contributions and government cost-cutting efforts, if the party takes control of Congress in November’s midterm elections.
uncertain
party → gear → elections
As Republicans fight to keep control of the House and Senate in red states that would normally be easy to win, Musk, who previously worked at the White House for President Donald Trump, has been pouring money into GOP candidates.
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who → fight → candidates
“Our committees need to be doing oversight both into the Trump administration, but I think even more importantly or equally importantly into the corporations and ultra-rich people who have tried to corrupt our government,” Representative Greg Casar, a Texas Democrat and member of the House Oversight Committee, told Politico’s flagship newsletter Playbook.
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Casar → need → newsletter
“And, of course, Elon Musk is on that list because it takes two to tango.”
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it → take → two
In Texas alone, where Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton is facing off against Democrat James Talarico, Musk donated nearly $160 million to the Senate Leadership Fund to help pay for political ads, The Texas Tribune reported Thursday, citing campaign finance filings.
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Tribune → face → filings
Musk’s own America PAC also put $18.8 million into the Senate race, according to the filings.
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PAC → put → filings
More than 80 percent of the money reportedly went to messaging against Talarico.
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percent → go → Talarico
Musk’s electric car company Tesla and rocket manufacturer SpaceX are both headquartered in Texas.
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company → headquarter → Texas
SpaceX has $5.9 billion worth of federal defense contracts so far this fiscal year, according to a newly published analysis by Bloomberg Government.
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SpaceX → have → Government
Democrats “absolutely should be looking into how Elon Musk, by trying to spend $300 million in the midterm elections” and support “republican politicians, is trying to buy his way into billions of dollars more in federal government money,” Casar said.
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Casar → look → money
In total, Musk has given more than $276 million to Republican organizations and his super PAC since the start of July to boost GOP candidates’ chances of winning in the midterms, The New York Times first reported last week.
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Times → give → midterms
The Independent has reached out to America PAC for comment on a potential congressional probe into Musk.
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Independent → reach → Musk
Musk also financially backed Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign, and when Trump took office for the second time, he tapped Musk to head his Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE.
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he → back → Efficiency
During his months-long tenure, DOGE gutted federal agencies to reduce what the Trump administration saw as government waste.
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administration → gutte → waste
“We definitely have a lot of questions about Elon Musk’s role in DOGE, and it is something we plan to investigate,” Sara Guerrero, a spokesperson for Representative Robert Garcia of California, who is the top Democrat on the Oversight Committee, told Politico in a full-length article.
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who → have → article
“I think DOGE was the original sin,” another Democrat on the House Oversight Committee who was granted anonymity told the publication.
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who → think → publication
“I certainly hope that Elon Musk and DOGE get brought in,” the Democrat said.
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Democrat → hope → ?
At a rally in Arizona that Trump held last week to support Republican Congressman Andy Biggs’ run for governor against Democratic incumbent Katie Hobbs, the president praised Musk’s smarts — contrasting him with “dumb” Hobbs.
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president → hold → Hobbs
But he also said the tech tycoon had “a little problem.”
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tycoon → say → problem
“I know smart people.
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I → know → people
I deal from Elon [Musk] down to Katie [Hobbs],” Trump said.
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Trump → deal → Katie
“Elon’s 80 percent super genius — and 20 percent he got a little problem, I always tell him.
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I → ’ → him
He’s a great guy, though.”
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He → ’ → ?
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