The case is a reminder of how much of Musk’s wealth comes from taxpayers. His companies have government contracts worth hundreds of millions of dollars a year.

The State Department said it planned to embark on a giant purchase of armored vehicles from Tesla, before the listing was edited to omit any reference to Elon Musk’s company.

It shows how some of Musk's wealth has come and was still expected to come from taxpayers before the plans were put on hold.