FAA officials have ordered staff to find tens of millions of dollars in funding for a deal with SpaceX’s Starlink, despite the contract being awarded to Verizon earlier. The order is unusual, as it has been delivered verbally and without a paper trail. This move comes amid concerns over potential conflicts of interest for Elon Musk, who leads Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and owns Starlink.
Musk has overseen significant changes at the FAA, including the firings of hundreds of employees. His role with DOGE and involvement in SpaceX also raise questions about ethics requirements and government contracting rules. The FAA fined SpaceX last year for safety and regulatory violations, but Musk offered to help the agency “make air travel safer.”
A recent deal to ship 4,000 Starlink terminals to the FAA was approved by Musk, claiming they would be sent at no cost to taxpayers on an emergency basis. However, it’s unclear if this contract is officially dead or if a new deal with Starlink has been formed.
The Trump administration is considering giving Starlink a $2.4 billion contract that had previously been awarded to Verizon. The move has sparked concerns about potential conflicts of interest and the lack of transparency in government contracting.
Source: https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/elon-musk-starlink-faa-officials-find-funding-1235285246