Elon Musk spends $442 million on the midterms after leading DOGE | The Receipts - Dataspheres AI

Elon Musk spends $442 million on the midterms after leading DOGE THE RECEIPTS Elon Musk spends $442 million on the midterms after leading DOGE October 27, ...

Elon Musk spends $442 million on the midterms after leading DOGE THE RECEIPTS Elon Musk spends $442 million on the midterms after leading DOGE October 27, 2026 Welcome to The Receipts. The post: Sanders on Musk The post: Sanders on Musk — This week Bernie Sanders posted that since the 2024 election, Elon Musk got $680 billion richer, became the first trillionaire, won $10 billion in contracts and paid $0 in tax — Now, he wrote, Musk is "spending $442 million to keep Republicans in control of Congress. Gee, I wonder why?" Bernie Sanders, U.S. senator from Vermont, February 2026 Elon Musk, Tesla and SpaceX CEO, Sept 21, 2025 Sanders post, Oct 27, 2026 (Facebook/X screenshot shared by the owner). His Oct 12 version said $696 billion (Benzinga, ANI). Who is Elon Musk Who is Elon Musk — Runs Tesla and SpaceX; the richest person on record — Spent more than $250 million backing the Republican ticket in 2024 Elon Musk, Tesla and SpaceX CEO, Sept 21, 2025 Tesla logo SpaceX logo PBS NewsHour: at least $250 million in 2024 (Sanders says $290 million). Forbes March 2026 list. Claim: $680 billion richer Claim: $680 billion richer $696 billion gain since the 2024 election, Sanders' own Oct 12 count; this week's post says $680 billion $839 billion net worth on Forbes' list, March 1, 2026 True estimates vary by outlet and start date; the direction does not Benzinga/ANI (Oct 12-13, 2026: $696B); Forbes World's Billionaires 2026 ($839B, valued Mar 1). Claim: the first trillionaire Claim: the first trillionaire — June 12, 2026: SpaceX went public, raising $75 billion, the largest IPO on record — Musk's stake: about $860 billion at the $135 offering price — With his Tesla shares: past $1 trillion (Bloomberg) — Verdict: true Bloomberg, TechCrunch, Al Jazeera, ABC (June 12, 2026). Claim: $10 billion in federal contracts Claim: $10 billion in federal contracts — April 2025: the Space Force picked SpaceX for about 28 national security launches, worth $5.92 billion — $11.8 billion left on 52 active federal contracts as of March (Fed-Spend). No single source totals $10 billion U.S. Space Force seal SpaceX logo Space Systems Command NSSL Phase 3 Lane 2, Apr 4, 2025 ($5,923,580,297; competitive award with ULA and Blue Origin). Fed-Spend via Space Explored, July 2026. Claim: $0 in federal income tax Claim: $0 in federal income tax — Tesla: $0 current federal income tax on about $5.7 billion of U.S. income in 2025; $48 million on $12.58 billion over three years (ITEP) — Legal: past losses and the 2025 tax law's write-offs. SpaceX was private until June: no public tax record. Unproven Tesla logo SpaceX logo ITEP, Tesla 2025 and 2024 analyses (also $0 in 2022). SpaceX: no public filing. Claim: $442 million on the midterms Claim: $442 million on the midterms $442 million spent on the 2026 midterms, per campaign finance filings (The Hill) $76.8 million added in the last month alone $158 million through the Senate Leadership Fund into the Texas Senate race The Hill, late Oct 2026 ($366M through Sept + $76.8M); Reuters ($366M). Inside the government: DOGE Inside the government: DOGE — January to May 2025: Musk led DOGE, the White House cost-cutting team — A Senate staff report counted 65 actions by 11 federal agencies pending against his companies, worth up to $2.37 billion Elon Musk, Tesla and SpaceX CEO, Sept 21, 2025 DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency) logo Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, minority staff memo, Apr 27, 2025 (NBC, The Register, Sen. Blumenthal). Liabilities quantified for 40 of 65 actions. The SpaceX workers' case: dropped The SpaceX workers' case: dropped — The NLRB was pursuing SpaceX for firing 8 engineers who criticized their CEO in a 2022 letter; a board member was fired Jan 27, 2025 — Feb 2026: the NLRB dropped the case, saying it has no authority over SpaceX National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) seal SpaceX logo NLRB complaint Jan 2024 (8 engineers fired 2022). Member Gwynne Wilcox fired Jan 27, 2025. Case dropped Feb 2026 after a National Mediation Board opinion (Bloomberg via Claims Journal; Engadget). Tesla's cases: mediation and closed probes Tesla's cases: mediation and closed probes — EEOC: suing Tesla over racial harassment of Black workers; two commissioners fired Jan 27, 2025; Jan 2026: the suit went to private mediation — NHTSA: DOGE cut 3 of about 7 staff in its self-driving office; 2026: two Tesla probes closed with no recall; self-driving probes still open Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) seal National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) logo EEOC v. Tesla (Sept 2023); commissioners Samuels and Burrows removed Jan 27, 2025; mediation Jan 2026 (HR Dive, Bloomberg Law). NHTSA cuts (Washington Post via ADN, Feb 2025); Smart Summon probe closed Apr 2026, sudden-acceleration probe closed Mar 2026 (Electrek, Claims Journal, autoevolution); FSD engineering analysis open (TechCrunch June 2026). SpaceX's FAA fine: no sign it was resolved SpaceX's FAA fine: no sign it