'A New Action Plan': Ban Musk Companies From Any and All Federal and State Contracts

Democratic leaders have angered progressive organizers and voters alike in recent weeks as they have claimed they have "no leverage" to stop the most damaging actions of the Trump administration.

But a new national campaign to cut off President Donald Trump's ally and adviser, Elon Musk, from the taxpayer money that's helped make him the world's richest person could "breathe life into the Democratic Party at a time when it is flailing" while forcing Musk "to limit his slash-and-burn campaign against the federal government," according to Sunjeev Bery, the executive director of the advocacy group Freedom Forward.

The organization is circulating a petition to gather support for its proposal to block all federal funding and contracts for two of Musk's companies—electric car manufacturer Tesla and aeronautics company SpaceX.

As Bery wrote in a recent column at The Intercept, SpaceX has received nearly $20 billion in government contracts, while Musk has been able to charge more than a fair market price for his Tesla vehicles thanks to government incentives giving consumers thousands of dollars when they bought cars from his company.

"This was essentially free money for his company at a time when he desperately needed the cash to keep Tesla afloat," wrote Bery.

Musk's reliance on government funding hasn't stopped him from pushing to cut Social Security, the anti-poverty program that serves retired Americans, and sweeping through federal agencies including the Department of Education and Department of Labor with plans to slash spending that American families depend on.

"We need to end the dynamic where America is heavily funding a billionaire who is using his wealth to destroy the federal government."

Bery wrote at The Intercept that Democratic senators should first speak out publicly against government funding for the man who is working to dismantle the federal government—and then "begin turning their stated opposition into actual votes."

Although Republicans hold majorities in the U.S. House and Senate, he wrote, Democratic senators have a "powerful tool" help help cut Musk off from federal funding: the filibuster.

"Forty-one U.S. senators could use the filibuster to block most legislation that enables the funding of Musk's companies," wrote Bery. "With 53 Republicans, 45 Democrats, and two independents in the Senate, such a push is numerically possible, though politically difficult."

Bery acknowledged challenges the Democrats would face, including party leaders' reluctance to "[pick] fights with billionaires" and the fact that filibustering the appropriations bills that help fund SpaceX and Tesla contracts would also delay the distribution of other government funds.

"Despite these difficulties, what makes pushing for a legislative attack on Musk's wealth such a powerful opportunity is that Musk himself is deeply unpopular among Democratic voters," wrote Bery, pointing to a recent Economist/YouGov poll that found 82% of Democrats disapprove of the billionaire and that a growing number of Republicans want Musk to have less influence over the Trump administration.

Bery told the Institute for Public Accuracy on Tuesday that the proposal to end government support for Musk's companies is "a new plan of action."

"This is an opportunity for senators to filibuster and block funding for Musk's companies," said Bery. "It is also an opportunity for state legislators to introduce legislation affirming that their states will not engage in contracts or buy equipment or services from Musk’s companies, including SpaceX, Tesla, and other ventures."

"We need to end the dynamic where America is heavily funding a billionaire who is using his wealth to destroy the federal government," said Bery. "The U.S. is engaging in a suicidal strategy: funding the very person who is trying to destroy the government. We have an opportunity to cut down that valuation dramatically. Musk stands to lose a lot. We can start holding these billionaire oligarchs accountable."