Trump Wants to Distance Himself from SpaceX, but Review Finds It Indispensable

According to a report by Jinse Finance citing the Wall Street Journal, sources revealed that just days after Trump raised the possibility in early June of severing business ties with companies owned by Musk, the government began reviewing SpaceX’s contracts with federal agencies. However, officials believe that most of these contracts cannot be canceled, as they are critical to the Department of Defense and NASA. On June 5, after Musk escalated personal attacks, Trump declared that the simplest way to save federal funds would be to “terminate” contracts with Musk’s companies. A few days later, a senior official from the U.S. General Services Administration requested that the Department of Defense, NASA, and other federal agencies complete an electronic form listing all current contracts and other transaction agreements with SpaceX. After reviewing this data, officials from the White House and agencies including the Pentagon determined that the majority of these contracts are essential to the Department of Defense and NASA. According to informed sources, some of SpaceX’s contracts may continue to be subject to review. (Jin10)