While the third company, Dynetics, would technically also be in the running for the new pot of cash, most seem to believe Bezos would be a shoo-in for it.ĭespite its massive price tag, the legislation is being moved rapidly through Congress and appears to have broad bipartisan support. Maria Cantwell (D-WA), who happens to represent the state where Blue Origins is headquartered. The amendment was added to the bill by Sen. To make that happen they’re working to pass an amendment to the Endless Frontier Act-legislation meant to increase scientific research and technology funding. Since Bezos lost the bid, lawmakers are scrambling to make a second grant, in addition to the contract awarded to SpaceX. Last month, it was announced that Musk’s company, SpaceX would be awarded the contract after their bid came in at almost half the cost of Bezos’s Blue Origin’s offer.Īfter the loss, Blue Origin and a third company in the running filed protests with the Government Accountability Office, but it seems that the review process may be bypassed thanks to the actions of federal lawmakers who are now angling to help Bezos receive a $10 billion contract anyway. Recently, the two men have been competing for another taxpayer-funded contract-a NASA grant to put astronauts on the moon. Musk’s Tesla and SpaceX have received nearly $5 billion in government aid over the years in various forms-grants, environmental credits, tax breaks, discounted loans, and more-while Amazon received more than $3.7 billion in taxpayer subsidies at the federal level alone. Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos are two of the richest men in the world, and while both are clearly brilliant titans of industry, neither of them achieved that status without multiple handouts from the government.
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