Sen. Bernie Sanders lashed out at Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos over their house ambitions in a scathing op-ed.
Sen. Bernie Sanders lashed out at Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos over their house ambitions on Friday – claiming in a scathing op-ed that the 2 billionaires are benefiting from federal help to pursue even larger wealth among the many stars.
Sanders (I-Vt.) warned that the burgeoning house race between Musk’s SpaceX and Bezos’ Blue Origin threatens to develop into a “huge boondoggle” that can “open up outer house to company greed and exploitation” somewhat than profit the nation.
“I'm involved that NASA has develop into little greater than an ATM machine to gas an area race not between the US and different international locations, however between the 2 wealthiest males in America – Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos, who're value greater than $450 billion mixed,” Sanders wrote in an op-ed for The Guardian.
Musk, who has stated he paid the steepest tax invoice in historical past in 2021, has sparred with Sanders on a number of events. Musk infamously slammed the self-avowed socialist final November after the senator known as for the implementation of a brand new tax on billionaires.
“I maintain forgetting that you simply’re nonetheless alive,” Musk stated on the time.
Bezos took a extra tactful strategy final July simply earlier than he personally participated in Blue Origin’s first civilian flight — acknowledging that he felt critics who stated he make investments extra in addressing Earth’s issues have been “largely proper.”
“Now we have to do each,” Bezos stated.
NASA has engaged with SpaceX and different privately held corporations lately because it seems to realize a objective of finishing one other mission to the Moon by 2025. The federal house company awarded a lunar lander contract to SpaceX and not too long ago indicated it will open bidding on a second contract to different corporations – with Blue Origin anticipated to compete for the gig.
Sanders has vocally opposed a provision in Congress that may $10 billion in extra federal funding towards the event of lunar landers, Politico reported final month.
“At a time when over half of the folks on this nation reside paycheck to paycheck, when greater than 70 million are uninsured or underinsured and when some 600,000 People are homeless, ought to we actually be offering a multibillion-dollar taxpayer bailout for Bezos to gas his house passion? I don’t suppose so,” Sanders stated.
SpaceX and Blue Origin didn't instantly return requests for remark.
Bezos and Musk are heated rivals in an more and more aggressive non-public house exploration sector. Each SpaceX and Blue Origin have performed flights with civilian passengers as a part of their house tourism efforts.
Earlier this month, Blue Origin unveiled a plan to conduct as many as 83 satellite tv for pc launches over a five-year interval as a part of its secretive “Undertaking Kuiper” broadband web venture – a service that can immediately full with SpaceX’s Starlink.
And earlier than NASA opened up bidding for a second lunar lander contract, Blue Origin filed and misplaced a federal lawsuit accusing the company of improperly awarding the primary deal to SpaceX.
“The time is now to have a severe debate in Congress and all through our nation as to the way to develop a rational house coverage that doesn't merely socialize all the dangers and privatize all the earnings,” Sanders added.
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