‘DOGE should look into that’: Elon Musk’s Starship explosion leaves Americans fed up over his wasteful, selfish spending
Americans renew calls for DOGE to look into Elon Musk’s billions in government contracts after a recent SpaceX Starship explosion.
Musk is the head of the so-called DOGE, the Department of Government Efficiency. In his role, he has wreaked havoc on the American government by chaotically freezing foreign funds, dismantling USAID, and mass-firing federal workers. It’s believed most of his actions are illegal, especially since President Donald Trump recently clarified that he’s not actually allowed to fire anyone after he fired thousands of workers. One of the biggest problems with Musk’s aggressive cost-cutting efforts and unprecedented power is his myriad conflicts of interest. He is the CEO of multiple companies with lucrative contracts with the government totaling billions of dollars. His position also means he could retaliate against the departments that have tried to regulate his businesses.
In response to valid concerns about his conflicts of interest, White Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the Trump administration was simply allowing Musk to self-police. While Musk and Trump have cut cancer research, left National Parks understaffed, and ended thousands of lifesaving USAID programs, his contracts have remained intact. However, the latest SpaceX incident raises questions about whether the government should continue these investments.
SpaceX explosion raises scrutiny of government spending on Elon Musk
SpaceX experienced a setback on March 6. On its eighth test flight, a Starship spacecraft exploded several minutes into its mission. The spacecraft was launched with the Super Heavy booster, which successfully detached and landed at SpaceX’s launch tower. The Starship was supposed to continue to space, but the engine cut ten minutes into its flight, causing the ship to tumble and explode. Due to the falling debris, its explosion disrupted air traffic in parts of Florida. Meanwhile, this marks the second consecutive Starship explosion. On January 16, SpaceX’s Starship spacecraft was also lost in an explosion on its seventh test flight.
According to CNN, the FAA confirmed it will be involved in a mishap investigation into the incident, which requires SpaceX to “identify corrective actions to avoid it from happening again.” Even so, social media users were not impressed. After all, this wasn’t an isolated incident. SpaceX has an incredibly high failure rate, with every explosion and failure costing taxpayer dollars. Musk and the Trump administration have worked hard to convince Americans that using their taxpayer dollars to save lives and feed starving children in other countries is a waste. Yet, spending their taxpayer dollars on Musk’s exploding SpaceX starships somehow isn’t.
Perhaps the biggest reason Musk’s SpaceX failures are receiving such high scrutiny is his abhorrent attitude toward federal workers. For weeks, he has incessantly insulted and trolled federal workers, accusing them all of being lazy, undeserving, and a waste to the government. Even after firing thousands of workers, he allegedly argued with Trump’s Cabinet about needing to fire even more people. Musk was so desperate to fire people that he even threatened to terminate employees over their responses or lack of response to an email. If any federal employee or government department makes a misstep, Musk will be the first to blare it all over social media to reiterate how these workers don’t deserve their salaries paid by the government. Of course, when he wastes taxpayer dollars with his numerous SpaceX failures, he expects grace and continued funding.
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