Infrastructure

GAO finds unlawful withholding of EV charger funds (NEVI)

| Importance: 7/10

GAO concluded that DOT’s actions on NEVI funds violated the Impoundment Control Act, finding $2.74 billion in electric vehicle infrastructure funds were unlawfully withheld. The decision mandates the Transportation Department must continue funding the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure …

GAO DOT FHWA OMB Biden Administration budget impoundment gao omb electric-vehicles +3 more
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Elon Musk's Boring Company Enters Negotiations for $8.5B Amtrak Tunnel Project

| Importance: 8/10

The Federal Railroad Administration initiated preliminary discussions with Elon Musk’s Boring Company regarding the Frederick Douglass Tunnel project, a critical infrastructure initiative to replace a 150-year-old rail tunnel between Baltimore and Washington. The project, initially estimated …

Elon Musk Donald Trump Federal Railroad Administration Amtrak government-contracts infrastructure transportation tunneling
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White House Forces Out Amtrak CEO Amid Privatization Threats

| Importance: 7/10

Stephen Gardner, Amtrak’s CEO since 2022, was forced to resign by the Trump administration following public pressure from Elon Musk to privatize the national passenger rail service. Despite Amtrak achieving record ridership of 32.8 million customer trips in 2023, the administration signaled …

Donald Trump Stephen Gardner Elon Musk Sean Duffy kleptocracy privatization infrastructure transportation
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FAA Reviews Verizon Contract Amid Starlink Competition

| Importance: 8/10

The Department of Transportation placed the $24 billion Verizon FAA contract under review, with Elon Musk positioning Starlink as a potential alternative vendor. This review comes amid claims about the existing communication system’s reliability and potential performance issues in air traffic …

Elon Musk Donald Trump Verizon Communications SpaceX Trump Administration government-contracts infrastructure telecommunications federal-procurement
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SpaceX Confirms Starlink Loan Agreement with FAA for Infrastructure Testing

| Importance: 6/10

SpaceX confirmed a loan agreement with L3Harris to provide Starlink satellite communication terminals to the FAA for infrastructure testing, specifically in Alaska. The agreement involves providing 4,000 Starlink kits free of charge for an initial evaluation period, raising potential conflict of …

Elon Musk SpaceX FAA L3Harris Technologies Verizon +1 more kleptocracy technology infrastructure government-contracts
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