Former Clinton Labor Secretary Robert Reich called on Democrats to target billionaire Elon Musk if they regain control of Congress in the midterm elections, urging lawmakers to investigate the SpaceX founder and lay the groundwork for nationalizing his companies.
During an Oct. 24 episode of his podcast, “The Coffee Klatch with Robert Reich,” the former labor secretary argued that Musk holds too much political and economic power and called for Democrats to take aggressive action against the billionaire.
“When I say defund Musk, you know, 75% of his wealth is dependent on taxpayers who are buying Starlink systems for the Department of Defense,” he said.
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Reich did not provide evidence supporting his assertion that 75% of Musk’s wealth depends on taxpayers. SpaceX has secured billions of dollars in federal contracts, including agreements with NASA and the Pentagon.
The former labor secretary also urged Democrats to prepare for a government takeover of SpaceX and its satellite internet business, Starlink, if the party wins back the White House.
“If we have a Democratic administration — and the Democrats ought to be starting this not just with oversight hearings, but also starting laying the groundwork for nationalizing Starlink and SpaceX,” he continued. “It should be a public corporation. We should not ever have that kind of power in one person’s hands.”
Musk fired back at Reich on X on Oct. 25, responding to a video of the former labor secretary’s remarks shared by conservative commentator Collin Rugg.
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“Stealing companies is a serious crime. Prison for Reich,” he wrote.
Reich also predicted that Musk would face increased congressional scrutiny if Democrats win control of the House and potentially the Senate.
“He knows that if the Democrats take over the House and possibly the Senate, one of the things they are going to be doing is focusing on Elon Musk. I mean, he’s really going to be targeted, and he knows it, and he’s going to be using his 360 million followers or 260 million followers on X to give him a buttress against that.”
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Reich’s remarks come as Democrats seek to regain control of Congress in the November midterm elections, potentially giving the party greater authority to investigate Musk’s business dealings with the federal government.
While Reich called for Democrats to begin laying the groundwork for nationalizing SpaceX and Starlink, he acknowledged that such a move would depend on the party returning to the White House.
