May 8, 2025

Duplicitous Oligarch Grifting Endlessly

Elon Musk has a conflict of interest at more than 70 percent of agencies targeted by DOGE

It remains unclear exactly what, precisely, the so-called “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE) is. The Trump administration first described this Elon Musk-led project as a non-governmental advisory entity, then presented it via Executive Order as a technology-focused office inside the White House (a repurposing of the U.S. Digital Service) and simultaneously a new governmental Temporary Organization.[1] Since then, Musk’s amorphous DOGE has sent detailees (some very young and inexperienced)[2] into various departments to seize reams of data or to embed themselves inside the agencies, worked to unilaterally dissolve key agencies, and facilitated the reckless slashing of staff throughout the government.[3] DOGE is carrying out its destructive rampage under the guise of targeting “inefficiencies,” but in reality Musk and DOGE have gutted essential government services that everyday people rely on, ignoring actual inefficiencies.[4]

The makeup and mandate of DOGE may be murky, but one thing is abundantly clear: Elon Musk has leveraged the project to ascend to power within the federal government.[5] President Trump and the administration have hemmed and hawed about Musk’s exact role while serving as a “special government employee,” but he quite plainly has been driving the DOGE agenda.[6]

Yet even while functioning as the most powerful actor in the federal government outside of the president, Musk has continued to lead multiple large companies that contract with and are regulated by federal agencies.

Reportedly, Musk is slated to soon take a step back from DOGE.[7] As he is potentially on his way out of the Trump administration, it is useful to mark the departments and agencies that his DOGE project has targeted during his tenure, and which overlap with his personal business interests.

The chart below maps the departments and agencies DOGE has targeted and identifies which ones carry a known conflict of interest for Elon Musk’s business entanglements. This report finds that Elon Musk has had a conflict of interest at more than 70% of the cabinet and large independent agencies that DOGE has targeted. Highlights of these findings are discussed in greater detail below and in Table 1 in the Appendix.

Methodology

This report analyzes the departments and agencies that Elon Musk’s DOGE has targeted and that also pose a potential conflict of interest for Musk due to his business endeavors.

This report considers an agency to have been targeted by DOGE if Musk or DOGE personnel have done some combination of the following: publicly stating they are focusing on an agency or intend to; physically showing up at the office seeking access or control; embedding staff inside the agency; soliciting or receiving access to the agency’s data; or forcing a reduction in staffing, spending, and/or office space. It should be noted that DOGE-affiliated individuals have taken up authority roles at the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), which subsequently offered deferred resignations to and ordered layoffs of probationary employees across the entire federal workplace and so, in that sense, every government department and agency has been targeted by DOGE.[8] However, this report focuses on instances in which such actions resulted in significant reductions that are specifically attributed to DOGE in public reporting. Additionally, this report does not consider an agency targeted by DOGE because it has been affected by other Trump administration actions, such as firings or executive actions, that do not appear to be led by DOGE.

Public Citizen used the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) website to build a list of all cabinet level agencies as well as large independent agencies – which includes independent agencies with 1,000 or more employees, according to OPM.[9] In total, we found 32 cabinet and large independent agencies that met our criteria for DOGE involvement in the agencies’ operations. We found conflicts of interest between Elon Musk and his businesses at 23 of them.[10]

This report considers Elon Musk to have a conflict of interest with one of the DOGE-targeted agencies if at least one of his companies meet one or more of these factors according to publicly available reporting: it has received contracts or grants from the agency; it has an interest in its proprietary data; it is subject to the agency’s regulations; or has been subjected to enforcement action by that agency.

Some of the most egregious Musk conflicts are described in the narrative below.

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau

The CFPB works to counter bad banking and financial practices and rectify harms by scams, predatory lenders, debanking and other corporate malfeasance. The agency estimates that it has returned more than $20 billion to everyday people, and helped more than 200 million individuals and businesses rectify harms caused by illegal business practices.[11]

Yet the CFPB has become a target of corporate billionaire Musk’s ire and a pet project for DOGE under the guide of making government more “efficient.” Despite the agency’s laudable track record delivering for taxpayers, Musk has tweeted “Delete CFPB” and “CFPB RIP.”[12]

The DOGE attacks on the CFPB moved from Musk social media posts to reality, as DOGE detailees arrived at CFPB offices demanding sensitive data. Building upon DOGE’s targeting of the agency, the Trump administration has ordered a halt to agency operations (including “ceas[ing] any pending investigations”), canceled the headquarters lease, and attempted to fire its employees.[13] Challenges to these actions are making their way through the courts (including in a case in which Public Citizen serves as co-counsel) but in the meantime, real people who depend on the CFPB suffer the consequences.[14]

Musk has a direct business interest in shuttering the CFPB. Musk infamously purchased Twitter, renamed it “X,” and vowed to turn it into an “everything app.”[15] This appears to include plans to add payment processing services, including a partnership with Visa already in the works to establish this service.[16] If X is to be a payment processor, it will be regulated by the CFPB – or, at least it will be, assuming the agency continues to exist.

The CFPB has aggressively policed digital payment processors similar to the one Musk envisions creating through X, including issuing a rule regulating them and demanding information from PayPal, Square (now renamed Block), Amazon, Google, Apple, and other corporations engaged in digital payment processing.[17] If the CFPB doesn’t exist, or doesn’t have the capacity or interest in conducting aggressive oversight of these businesses, Musk will likely be able to pursue his vision of an X-run payment processor with fewer guardrails that serve to protect consumers. Additionally, by securing access to the CFPB’s databases as previously described, it is possible that Musk may be able to come into possession of proprietary information about rival companies that would directly benefit X.

The CFPB also oversees the auto lending industry.[18] This is significant because Musk remains the head of Tesla, a car company that provides auto loans through its financing arm.[19] Reporting shows that the CFPB has fielded hundreds of complaints about Tesla related to debt collection and loan problems.[20]

If CFPB indeed were to permanently “RIP,” it would be very bad for the country but potentially very good for some of Elon Musk’s companies.

Department of Defense

Among the many business interests that Elon Musk brings with him as an influential “special government employee” in the Trump administration is his role as founder of SpaceX, a company that provides space launch services. SpaceX is a major defense contractor, with about $22 billion in government contracts.[21] These contracts include the provision of launch services to the military for classified satellites and broadband connectivity through its internet service provider subsidiary, Starlink. Musk and SpaceX also ally closely with Silicon Valley artificial intelligence weapons producers such as Palantir and Anduril.[22]

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has explicitly invited DOGE to visit DOD.[23] Already, in keeping with the government-slashing DOGE project, DOD has frozen civilian credit card purchases and travel.[24] And a Pentagon spokesperson announced that DOGE had identified about $80 million in cuts to the DOD budget – notably, nearly all costs identified were in diversity, equity and inclusion programming.[25]

In addition to Musk’s profiting from DOD contracts, he also has a potential interest in proprietary data collected by the department. The Pentagon houses a massive database – USXports – that contains information about foreign weapons sales.[26] If DOGE affiliates achieve access to USXports, they will uncover a treasure trove of information about Musk’s defense contractor competitors. If Musk were able to access this information, it could provide him with a major competitive advantage in seeking DOD contracts.

More generally, at an agency which can’t pass an audit and regularly pays for weapons systems that don’t work or have dubious purpose, Elon Musk stands to personally benefit from the choices that DOGE makes about which kinds of government spending are “waste.”[27] Indeed, reporting indicates SpaceX is being looked at as a possible arbiter of increased military cargo transportation around the world.[28] Further, Hegseth has ordered programs across the Pentagon to identify opportunities for budget reallocations, but has explicitly exempted several categories of Pentagon spending that should not be touched, including procurement of weapons systems like drone technology favored by Musk and his Silicon Valley friends.[29]

National Labor Relations Board

The NLRB is tasked with protecting American workers against unfair labor practices. According to an agency whistleblower, DOGE detailees arrived at NLRB headquarters in early March, seeking and securing access to the agency’s trove of sensitive information that includes workers’ personal information and proprietary corporate documents.[30] NLRB workers were reportedly alarmed after this encounter, when they noticed a large amount of data being transferred out of the agency despite the DOGE staffers taking steps to avoid monitoring and tracking their activities.

Such information could be of particular interest to Elon Musk, as it could include damaging information about his business competitors. Further, the New York Times reported that the NLRB has 24 pending investigations into Musk’s various companies.[31] Many of these are related to the mass firings and surveillance of sensitive information Musk implemented shortly after taking the helm at Twitter, in a move foreshadowing the current sweeping DOGE activities.

The NLRB has long been a target of Musk companies’ ire. In particular, the NLRB’s very existence had previously been challenged by Musk-led SpaceX, in a lawsuit alleging the agency is unconstitutional.[32] The charge followed NLRB investigations into complaints from SpaceX workers.

Department of Justice

The nation’s highest law enforcement entity has also been permeated by DOGE. After DOGE detailees visited DOJ headquarters in person, Attorney General Pam Bondi has directed the formation of an internal team called “JUST DOGE” made up of senior DOJ officials with a mandate to work with DOGE on identifying and implementing spending cuts.[33] Additionally, DOGE-affiliated staffers have been embedded within the department’s immigration enforcement division and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.[34]

Several of Musk’s various business endeavors are under scrutiny from the Justice Department, as Public Citizen has documented.[35]

The DOJ’s investigation of Tesla and potentially Musk himself as head of the company includes an examination of the company’s characterization of the cars’ “Autopilot” and “Full Self-Driving” modes, including whether claims about these features have been criminally fraudulent.[36]

The department had also brought a case against Musk’s SpaceX in 2023, alleging discrimination against refugees and those seeking asylum in its hiring practices.[37] As of February 2025, that case has now been dropped.[38]

Department of Agriculture

The Department of Agriculture oversees a wide variety of policies critical to consumers, including those related to food, nutrition, animal welfare, natural resources and more.[39] The current department leadership has indicated a strong willingness to comply with Musk’s destructive DOGE project, with Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins announcing in February, “I welcome DOGE’s efforts at USDA.” Further, she told her staff, “I will expect full access and transparency to DOGE in the days and weeks to come.”[40]

Indeed, USDA has already complied with DOGE efforts by canceling $132 million in contracts and firing workers.[41] One analysis also found that USDA office closures make up about one in seven all federal office shutterings resulting from DOGE actions.[42]

Musk has minor contractual interests at USDA. SpaceX has received $1.1 million in USDA funding since 2003.[43]

More notably, one of Musk’s businesses has previously come under scrutiny by USDA’s inspector general. Neuralink is a medical device company founded and helmed by Musk that produces brain implants. Per the request of a federal prosecutor, USDA’s inspector general launched an investigation of Neuralink in 2022.[44] Reportedly, the company’s employees were growing increasingly concerned about Neuralink’s escalating animal testing practices that had resulted in about 1,500 killed animals, including hundreds of monkeys, pigs and sheep. Employees alleged that Musk was unnecessarily accelerating these tests, resulting in numerous errors, botched experiments, potentially questionable data, and excessive animal suffering and death. USDA’s Inspector General was reportedly still evaluating Neuralink for possible violations of the Animal Welfare Act through its animal testing practices when she was physically escorted from her office after refusing to leave when the Trump administration mass fired her along with several other inspectors general in January 2025.[45]

Department of Energy

DOGE has been particularly active at the Department of Energy. The Musk-led project’s incursion began in February when Energy Secretary Chris Wright welcomed a 23-year-old SpaceX intern-turned-DOGE representative and granted him IT access.[46] Subsequently, a SpaceX engineer was embedded within the department as chief information officer, earning access to personnel data. He served for less than two months before being replaced by a different DOGE loyalist in the same position.[47] At least one more DOGE delegate has since secured a more official role within DOE.[48]

The department has also undertaken DOGE-encouraged staff purges. Alarmingly, this included the firing of hundreds of staff from the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), an agency housed within the Department of Energy that is tasked with overseeing the nation’s nuclear weapons stockpile.[49] These hasty and harmful terminations were later walked back.[50]

Musk’s businesses have long interacted with the Department of Energy. Tesla previously received a $465 million loan from DOE that it considered critical to its continued operations in 2010, a time when its finances were not stable.[51]

The Department of Energy is also another entity holding private data that could be of value to Elon Musk’s corporate interests.[52] DOE is home to the Loan Programs Office, which operates the Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing Program that finances loans to producers of electric vehicles (EVs). The Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing Program holds proprietary information about rivals of Musk’s Tesla, a major producer of EVs. If Musk were able to access and use information from the program, it could give Tesla an unfair advantage in the market.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

NHTSA – an agency with a mandate to oversee auto safety – is another agency feeling the fallout from DOGE’s actions.[53] An email laying off agency employees in an effort that multiple employees described as initiated by DOGE, resulted in a 4 percent staff reduction in a single day.[54] Broader resignations and firings resulting from the Musk-back effort to reduce the federal government that is being targeted at every agency caused NHTSA to lose an overall 10 percent decline in staffing.[55]

NHTSA is the agency that oversees autonomous cars like the ones sold by Musk’s company, Tesla. This includes the Office of Defects Investigation, which has enforcement authority to investigate safety problems and issue recalls.[56] Musk has previously railed against NHTSA as impeding Tesla’s innovation, tweeting in 2014 that “The word ‘recall’ should be recalled.”[57] Reporting indicates Musk had previously directly threatened NHTSA regulators with litigation and caused his online fans to harass them in the course of their investigation into deaths resulting from failures of Tesla’s Autopilot driver-assistance technology.[58]

The Office of Automation Safety is specifically tasked with regulating self-driving cars and only had seven employees before the DOGE-led firings. The office now is down to four staff – about half of its original capacity.[59]

One of the terminated engineers said of the specialized knowledge required to put safeguards around autonomous vehicles, “The amount of people in the federal government who are able to understand this adequately is very small. Now it’s almost nonexistent.”[60]

Prior to the Trump administration that swept Musk into power, there were eight pending NHTSA probes into Tesla.[61]

Food and Drug Administration

Through DOGE’s purge of the federal workforce, Elon Musk has been positioned to displace people directly tasked with regulating his businesses. That includes the FDA, which, in addition to overseeing actual food and drugs, evaluates medical devices for safety and efficacy. DOGE initiatives reportedly resulted in the firing of around 1,000 FDA employees early in 2025 before Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., took over and initiated still more firings across health agencies.[62] Additionally, the agency reportedly has been inundated with requests related to DOGE’s work to gather and report on detailed technical information.[63]

This is significant for DOGE purposes because FDA has direct regulatory authority over Musk’s Neuralink company’s brain implant technologies.[64] Musk must get the FDA’s approval for Neuralink to take certain steps that are necessary to develop the brain implant device for medical use. This has previously included the FDA’s green light for Neuralink’s human clinical trial and its awarding to the company a designation meant to help speed up the development and review process for one of its devices.[65]

Now, because of DOGE, the very same people at the FDA overseeing Neuralink activities are being terminated. Musk’s DOGE has clipped the FDA as it swings a metaphorical axe through the government claiming “efficiency.” At the FDA, this has meant a reduction of workers through DOGE firings of probationary employees.[66] About 20 of those fired worked in the office of neurological and physical medicine devices, which works on Neuralink.[67] A former FDA official called these terminations “intimidating to the FDA professionals who are overseeing Neuralink’s trial.”

Federal Aviation Administration

The FAA is the lead agency tasked with ensuring air traffic safety. It is an agency of particular importance to Musk’s SpaceX company which primarily provides rocket launch services.

Now, as Musk helms DOGE, about 400 personnel have been laid off from the FAA.[68] Additionally, a team of SpaceX employees were temporarily placed directly inside the FAA, working with FAA email addresses.

The FAA actively conducts oversight of SpaceX and engages in enforcement actions where it deems violations of safety standards have taken place. As such, there are pending FAA fines against SpaceX, including one for proceeding with a rocket launch in July 2023 after the FAA flagged that essential safety checks had not been completed.[69] The FAA also more recently ordered SpaceX to investigate a botched Starship rocket test flight that resulted in dangerous debris falling to earth.[70]

Musk previously called the FAA’s enforcement actions against SpaceX “improper” and “politically-motivated behavior.”[71] Musk’s perceived vendetta against the FAA and his potentially improper influence had already raised questions from Senator Elizabeth Warren when FAA chief Michael Whitaker resigned on the last day of the Biden administration, despite enjoying broad bipartisan support.[72] Musk had previously called for Whitaker’s resignation as retaliation for the FAA’s enforcement actions against SpaceX.

Musk’s Starlink is a significant FAA contractor. His Starlink company has been thought by many, including leading Democratic lawmakers, to be on the cusp of securing a new $2.4 billion contract through the FAA to upgrade its aging internet connectivity system that was originally awarded to Verizon.[73] This speculation has been fueled in part by Musk retweeting an X post urging exactly such a role for Starlink, Transportation Secretary Duffy criticism of Verizon for “not moving fast enough” in its upgrades, and the FAA conducting testing of Starlink systems at several of its agency sites.[74] Starlink insists it does not intend to take over this contract, and the acting head of the FAA Chris Rocheleau testified before Congress that DOGE is not involved in this or other decisions around the agency’s use of Starlink technology.[75]

Securities and Exchange Commission

The SEC’s mission is to protect investors and enforce federal securities laws.[76] In keeping with this mandate, the agency has taken actions against Musk’s businesses.

In February, a DOGE-affiliated social media account solicited help from the public in identifying “waste, fraud and abuse relating to the Securities and Exchange Commission.”[77] Politico reported that DOGE is indeed slated to focus its efforts on the SEC, with one anonymous source stating “They are at the gates.”[78] Already, the SEC has offered buyouts to employees willing to resign or retire early in keeping with DOGE’s purge of the federal workforce.[79]

The SEC has ongoing enforcement actions targeting Musk companies. There are pending SEC fines against Musk for as much as $150 million for failing to file required disclosures that likely resulted in his underpaying for Twitter stock.[80] The SEC sued Musk in January to recover these fines.[81] Further, the agency has been investigating Musk’s Twitter takeover and had indicated it will seek sanctions over his failure to testify on the matter.[82] The SEC also has a pending investigation against Neuralink, similar to the USDA’s investigation, for its alleged mistreatment of animals during testing.[83]

The SEC’s enforcement actions against Musk’s businesses has often raised his ire. Right before Trump’s inauguration, Musk’s attorney sent a letter to then-SEC Chair Gary Gensler alleging “six years of harassment of Mr. Musk by the Commission and its Staff” and demanding to know who was directing the SEC’s enforcement actions against Musk and his businesses.[84]

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

SpaceX leadership has long attributed the company’s success to NASA’s early investments, going so far as to say in 2013, “[T]his is as much NASA as it is SpaceX here.”[85] Indeed, the Musk-led company has approximately $15 billion in contracts from NASA, although it is impossible to calculate the current amount precisely, as much of the company’s business with NASA – including the budget overseeing those activities – is classified.[86]

DOGE has now set its sights on the agency that has helped fill Musk’s pockets. Acting NASA administrator Janet Petro said, “We are going to have DOGE come. They’re going to look – similarly (to) what they’ve done in other agencies – at our payments and what money has gone out.”[87] Petro also stated that “hundreds” of NASA employees have accepted DOGE-offered buyouts to leave their jobs.

Musk has publicly opposed the Trump administration’s cuts to NASA’s scientific work and stated that he has not been involved in those budget decisions because of conflicts of interest.[88] Nonetheless, like so many other agencies, Musk both stands to profit by the decisions that NASA makes about its expenditures and resources, and has the potential to influence or even make those same decisions himself as part of his DOGE project.

Indeed, the New York Times reports that Musk has pressed NASA to focus on Mars, an endeavor that will open up new opportunities for SpaceX contracting.[89]

U.S. Agency for International Development

USAID leads American global humanitarian and economic development efforts. Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, two of Musk’s companies have contracted with USAID to provide expanded internet access to Ukrainians via Starlink terminals and SpaceX satellites. Toward the end of the Biden administration, USAID was re-evaluating this arrangement, according to the agency’s inspector general.[90] USAID was investigating whether Russians had improperly gained access to Starlink, even though Musk had made assurances that the system was secure.[91]

One of DOGE’s earliest casualties was USAID, with 90 percent of the agency’s contracts suspended and most staffers terminated.[92] Musk stated that he and President Trump discussed USAID early in the new administration and “agreed that we should shut it down.”[93] These actions are currently being challenged through litigation, including by Public Citizen.[94]

Indeed, not long after USAID announced it was probing Musk’s business interests, the agency’s very future now appears uncertain. Most recently, Secretary of State Rubio announced that 83 percent of the agency’s programs are to remain shuttered, and the remainder moved under the auspices of the Department of State.[95]

Conclusion

The wealthiest man in the world is working to dismantle the very same federal departments and agencies tasked with overseeing and placing checks on his businesses. He also now is adjacent to and could potentially access sensitive and potentially proprietary information from his biggest competitors in the various industries that have made him wealthy. He also has personal business interests that could shape what his DOGE project considers ripe for cuts.

How is this glaring potential corruption being addressed? The White House has stated that Elon Musk will self-police by recusing himself when his DOGE and business interests collide.[96] This system places entirely in Musk’s hands the discretion to decide what constitutes a conflict of interest and when recusal is merited.

This is not sufficient. With Elon Musk having a direct business interest in at least 70% of the departments and agencies targeted by his DOGE project, action must be taken.

Congress should push to tighten conflict of interest rules on “special government employees” such as Musk, including prohibiting them from holding active government contracts. Members should also hold hearings, request documents, and otherwise conduct aggressive oversight of the potential corruption and conflicts posed by Elon Musk holding such immense power to make personnel and monetary decisions on behalf of the government and ransack sensitive information from which he stands to benefit.

But no procedural remedies will be sufficient. Elon Musk never should have been given a role inside of government – he has rampant, uncurable conflicts of interest; he has overseen a rogue operation that has violated norms and, allegedly, laws designed to protect the privacy of American’s personal information; and he has shepherded a government agency-destruction mission that imperils Americans’ safety and well-being but will, in many cases, benefit his companies. The man who never should have been hired should be fired immediately.

Appendix I

Table 1 – Cabinet and Large Independent Agencies Where DOGE Has Impacted Operations

All sources for Table 1 are included in the full report PDF.

Federal Agency Targeted by DOGE	Agency Type	Musk Conflict?	Company Creating Conflict	Conflict Description
Department of Defense (DoD)	Cabinet	Yes	SpaceX	SpaceX has received $7.6 billion in funding from DoD since 2003, including ongoing contracts.
				SpaceX’s Starshield business entered into a $1.8 billion contract in 2021 with the DoD’s National Reconnaissance Office.
				In 2020, SpaceX was awarded a $150 million contract by DoD’s Space Development Agency
Department of Agriculture (USDA)	Cabinet	Yes	SpaceX, Neuralink	In 2022, Reuters reported that Neuralink was the subject of a probe by USDA’s Inspector General over potential animal welfare violations.
				SpaceX has received $1.1 million in funding from the Department of Agriculture since 2003.
Department of Commerce (DOC)	Cabinet	Yes	SpaceX	The Washinton Post estimates the Commerce Department is responsible for $3.6 million in funding to SpaceX since 2003.
				NOAA has awarded SpaceX contracts for Starlink services in the past.
				In 2024, NASA (on behalf of NOAA) awarded SpaceX a contract valued at $113 million.
Department of Justice (DOJ) / Attorney General	Cabinet	Yes	Tesla, SpaceX	DOJ investigated Tesla in 2023 over exaggerated claims about the company’s autopilot and “full self-driving” capabilities. The agency also investigated Tesla that year over plans to construct a glass house for Musk in Texas.
				DOJ sued SpaceX in 2023 for “discriminating against asylees and refugees in hiring.”
Department of Energy (DOE)	Cabinet	Yes	Tesla	Musk wants to end EV tax credits to help Tesla. “Take away the subsidies. It will only help Tesla,” Musk posted on X in July 2024.
				A 2010 Department of Energy loan of $465 million helped save Tesla.
Health and Human Services (HHS)	Cabinet	Yes	Neuralink	Musk’s Neuralink is regulated by the FDA. FDA staff members involved in reviewing Nueralink were reportedly fired by DOGE.
Department of Homeland Security (DHS)	Cabinet	Yes	SpaceX	SpaceX has received $1 million in funding from DHS since 2003.
Department of Interior (DOI)	Cabinet	Yes	SpaceX	DOI has been responsible for $1 million in funding for SpaceX since 2003.
				SpaceX has received hundreds of thousands of Starlink contracts from DOI, including many that are ongoing.
Department of State	Cabinet	Yes	SpaceX, Tesla	USAID inspector General began an investigation into Starlink in 2024.
				According to a Washington Post analysis, SpaceX has received $4.5 million in funding from the State Department while Tesla has received just under $400,000.
Department of Transportation (DOT)	Cabinet	Yes	Tesla, SpaceX, Neuralink	Nearly half of the NHTSA team tasked with regulating autonomous vehicles was cut by DOGE.
				The FAA has fined SpaceX for safety violations. After the FAA penalized SpaceX $633,000 for safety violations last year, Musk said SpaceX would sue the agency for “regulatory overreach.”
				Neuralink was fined for violating rules related to hazardous materials.
Treasury	Cabinet	Yes	Tesla	Tesla has received nearly $327 million in funding from Treasury since 2007.
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)	Cabinet	Yes	SpaceX	SpaceX has an ongoing contract with the agency for nearly $470,000.
General Service Administration (GSA)	Independent	Yes	Tesla	Tesla has received $947,000 in funding from GSA since 2007 and has ongoing contracts with the agency.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)	Independent	Yes	Tesla	Tesla and SpaceX have both been fined by the EPA for violations.
				Just last year, SpaceX was fined $148,000 by the EPA for violations of the Clean Water Act.
				The Post reports that SpaceX has received EPA funding.
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)	Independent	Yes	Tesla, X	Tesla car loans fall under the CFPB’s purview.
				X recently announced plans to allow users to transfer money on X using an “X Money Account.” This type of service would be regulated by the CFPB.
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)	Independent	Yes	Tesla, X	SEC is investigating Musk’s takeover of X recently sought sanctions on Musk for his failure to testify. Musk recently called the SEC a “totally broken organization.”
				The SEC investigated Tesla in 2023 over allegations it has used company funds to build Musk a house.
				In 2024, the SEC examined Telsa to see whether Musk mislead investors with his statements over the company’s autopilot capabilities.
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)	Independent	Yes	SpaceX	NASA has been responsible for $14.9 billion in funding for SpaceX since 2003, including numerous ongoing contracts.
Equal Opportunity Employment Commission (EEOC)	Independent	Yes	Tesla	In 2023, the EEOC sued Tesla charging the company with racial discrimination in its’ California factory. The suit alleges that Black workers were subjected to racial slurs and other harassment.
National Labor Relations Board (NLRB)	Independent	Yes	SpaceX	A complaint filed in 2022 alleges that SpaceX illegally fired employees for signing a public letter critical of Musk. SpaceX responded by suing the agency.
Federal Communications Commission (FCC)	Independent	Yes	SpaceX	The agency has some oversight responsibilities related to Starlink. In March 2025, the FCC announced it would grant a waiver allowing T-Mobile and Starlink to operate a cell service at higher power levels.
Federal Trade Commission (FTC)	Independent	Yes	X	Musk’s X, formally known as Twitter, is regulated in part by the FTC. Recent reporting revealed that in 2022 Musk came close to violating an FTC consent order.
National Science Foundation (NSF)	Independent	Yes	SpaceX	SpaceX regularly works with NSF and has received funding from the agency in the past.
Department of Education (ED)	Cabinet	No
Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)	Cabinet	No*
U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM)	Independent	No
Social Security Administration (SSA)	Independent	No
Office of Personnel Management (OPM)	Independent	No
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC)	Independent	No
National Credit Union Administration (NCUA)	Independent	No
National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)	Independent	No
Small Business Administration (SBA)	Independent	No

Sources

[1] Elena Moore, Camila Domonoske, Jeongyoon Han, Trump Taps Musk to Lead a ‘Department of Government Efficiency’ with Ramaswamy, NPR (Nov. 12, 2024), https://citizen.short.gy/to4iyy and Presidential Actions, Establishing and Implementing the President’s “Department of Government Efficiency”, The White House (Jan.20, 2025), https://citizen.short.gy/8rRTaA.

[2] Sasha Rogelberg, Top Hires in Trump’s Office of Personnel Management Reportedly Include a 21-year-old and a Freshly Graduated High-Schooler, Fortune (Jan. 29, 2025), https://citizen.short.gy/bWmPx4.

[3] Ellen Knickmeyer, Trump administration plans to slash all but a fraction of USAID jobs, officials say, AP (Feb. 6, 2025), https://citizen.short.gy/hAi42t.

[4] Ribert Weissman, DOGE Delusions, Public Citizen (Jan. 15, 2025), https://www.citizen.org/article/doge-delusions/.

[5] How Musk Built DOGE: Timeline and Key Takeaways, The New York Times (Feb. 28, 2025), https://citizen.short.gy/LnpMzs

[6] Craig Holman, Ethics Rules, or Lack Thereof, that Apply to “Special Government Employees” (SGE) and Elon Musk, in Particular, Public Citizen, https://citizen.short.gy/WQtjE9.

[7] Nathan Bomey, Elon Musk says he’s Taking a step back from DOGE after Tesla “Blowback”, Axios (April 22, 2025), https://citizen.short.gy/8V0BGj.

[8] Vittoria Elliott, Elon Musk Lackeys Have Taken Over the Office of Personnel Management, Wired (Jan. 28, 2025), https://citizen.short.gy/47j4xO and Brian Barrett, DOGE Email Throws Federal Agencies Into Chaos and Confusion, Wired (Feb. 22, 2025), https://citizen.short.gy/vJf7QY, and Chris Megerian, Michelle L. Price, Trump Administration Tells Government Agencies to lay off new Workers, Potentially Cutting Hundreds of Thousands, Fortune (Feb. 14, 2025), https://citizen.short.gy/vlqtO6.

[9] Open Government Data, United States Office of Personnel Management, https://citizen.short.gy/8ERHuQ.

[10] See the Appendix for a full list.

[11] Rohit Chopra, Opening Statement of Director Rohit Chopra before the House Financial Services Committee, The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (June 13, 2024), https://citizen.short.gy/2A3hsI.

[12] See https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1861644897490751865 and https://x.com/allenanalysis/status/1888981864993694172.

[13] Stacy Cowley, Jessica Silver-Greenberg and Kate Conger, With Attack on Consumer Bureau, Musk Removes Obstacle to His ‘X Money’ Vision, The New York Times (Feb. 13, 2025), https://citizen.short.gy/BaYsOr.

[14] NTEU v. Vought, Public Citizen, https://www.citizen.org/litigation/nteu-v/.

[15] Aislinn Murphy, Elon Musk’s X and Visa ink Deal as it pursues Becoming the ‘Everything’ App, Fox News (Jan. 28, 2025), https://citizen.short.gy/6xEwya.

[16] Hugh Son and MacKenzie Sigalos, Elon Musk’s X Begins its Push into Financial Services with Visa Deal, CNBC (Jan. 28, 2025), https://citizen.short.gy/FkwygK.

[17] CFPB Orders Tech Giants to Turn Over Information on their Payment System Plans, The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (Oct. 21, 2021), https://citizen.short.gy/ZzDf1W.

[18] Supervisory Highlights: Special Edition Auto Finance, The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (Fall 2024), https://citizen.short.gy/DLzK1d.

[19] Matt Egan, Elon Musk is Waging War on a Key Check on his Business Empire, CNN (Feb. 11, 2025), https://citizen.short.gy/uHhFB6.

[20] Eric Lipton and Kirsten Grind, Elon Musk’s Business Empire Scores Benefits Under Trump Shake-Up, The New York Times (Feb. 11, 2025), https://citizen.short.gy/NGT2hY and Consumer Complaint Database, search for “Tesla, Inc.”, The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, https://citizen.short.gy/Yjsvo9.

[21] Elon Musk’s US Department of Defense contracts, Reuters (Feb. 11, 2025), https://citizen.short.gy/u1RaNk.

[22] Makena Kelly, Former Palantir and Elon Musk Associates Are Taking Over Key Government IT Roles, Wired (Feb. 12, 2025), https://citizen.short.gy/xalPyw and Savannah Wooten, Deadly and Imminent: The Pentagon’s Mad Dash for Silicon Valley’s AI Weapons, Public Citizen (Nov. 22, 2024), https://www.citizen.org/article/deadly-and-imminent-report/.

[23] Danielle Wallace, Hegseth says DOGE Welcome at Pentagon as Defense Department Reviews Military Posture globally, Fox News (Feb. 11, 2025), https://citizen.short.gy/EbyBu6

[24] Danielle Wallace, Pentagon Clips Civilian Employees’ Credit Cards in Line with DOGE Cuts, Fox News (March 11, 2025), https://citizen.short.gy/JRyrwZ.

[25] See https://x.com/DODResponse/status/1896706407166337227.

[26] Spencer Ackerman, Musk and DOGE Might Soon Have Access to the Most Lucrative Defense-Contract Database of All, Zeteo (Feb. 18, 2025), https://citizen.short.gy/ThamHb.

[27] Stephen Sorace, Pentagon fails 7th audit in a row, unable to fully account for $824B budget, Fox 10 Phoenix (Nov. 17, 2024), https://citizen.short.gy/AgLW2t and Valerie Insinna, The Pentagon is battling the clock to fix serious, unreported F-35 problems, Defense News (June 12, 2019), https://citizen.short.gy/gd4iub.

[28] Eric Lipton, Musk Is Positioned to Profit Off Billions in New Government Contracts, The New York Times (March 23, 2025), https://citizen.short.gy/hOQVGX.

[29] Anthony Capaccio, Hegseth Set to Seek 8% Spending Shift at Pentagon, Bloomberg (Feb. 14, 2025), https://archive.ph/ZX2Eq and Michael T Klare, Welcome to the New Military-Industrial Complex, The Nation (Feb. 24, 2025), https://citizen.short.gy/q5vTXG.

[30] Jenna McLaughlin, A whistleblower’s disclosure details how DOGE may have taken sensitive labor data, NPR (April 15, 2025), https://citizen.short.gy/iI4rwm.

[31] Eric Lipton and Kirsten Grind, Elon Musk’s Business Empire Scores Benefits Under Trump Shake-Up, The New York Times (Feb. 11, 2025), https://citizen.short.gy/NGT2hY.

[32] Chris Isidore, Elon Musk’s dream comes true: The federal board that protects workers does not exist, at least for now, CNN (Feb. 15, 2025), https://citizen.short.gy/eD8x7y.

[33] Will Steakin, Katherine Faulders, and Alexander Mallin, AG Pam Bondi forms internal team to work with DOGE on DOJ cost-cutting efforts: Sources, ABC News (March 13, 2025), https://citizen.short.gy/J7GstI.

[34] Glenn Thrush, Top DOGE Officials Moved From Social Security Administration to Justice Dept, The New York Times (April 18, 2025), https://citizen.short.gy/3nAyaR and Shawn Musgrave, DOGE Installs a Former Tesla Employee at the FBI, The Intercept (April 18, 2025), https://citizen.short.gy/ebPEwg.

[35] Rick Claypool, Elon Musk’s Self-Serving Election Influence: Tilting the 2024 Election to Escape Corporate Accountability, Public Citizen (Oct. 21, 2024), https://citizen.short.gy/dh3stK.

[36] Tom Krisher, Tesla says Justice Department is expanding investigations and issuing subpoenas for information, AP (Oct. 23, 2023), https://citizen.short.gy/X9U2Ta and Mike Spector and Chris Prentice, Exclusive: In Tesla Autopilot probe, US prosecutors focus on securities, wire fraud, Reuters (May 8, 2024), https://citizen.short.gy/NfrJXO.

[37] Rick Claypool, Elon Musk’s Self-Serving Election Influence: Tilting the 2024 Election to Escape Corporate Accountability, Public Citizen (Oct. 21, 2024), https://citizen.short.gy/dh3stK.

[38] Qasim Nauman, Justice Dept. to Drop Discrimination Case Against Elon Musk’s SpaceX, The New York Times (Feb. 20, 2025), https://citizen.short.gy/4PdN8X.

[39] General Information, U.S. Department of Agriculture, https://citizen.short.gy/OjVTAY.

[40] Press Release, Secretary Rollins Takes Bold Action to Stop Wasteful Spending and Optimize USDA to Better Serve American Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture (Feb. 14, 2025), https://citizen.short.gy/qpoqjP.

[41] Grace Yarrow and Samuel Benson, Sen. Tina Smith: DOGE efforts at USDA are ‘completely wrong’, U.S. Department of Agriculture (March 13, 2025), https://citizen.short.gy/k1MIyt.

[42] Chris Clayton, USDA Faces 111 Office Leases Canceled as DOGE Touts Savings, Progressive Farmer (March 14, 2025),  https://citizen.short.gy/EMql3t.

[43] Desmond Butler, et. al, Elon Musk’s business empire is built on $38 billion in government funding, The Washington Post (Feb. 26, 2025), https://citizen.short.gy/FGbHX2.

[44] Rachael Levy, Exclusive: Musk’s Neuralink faces federal probe, employee backlash over animal tests, Reuters (Dec. 6, 2022), https://citizen.short.gy/ejzVOJ.

[45] Rachael Levy, Exclusive: USDA inspector general escorted out of her office after defying White House, Reuters (Jan. 29, 2025), https://citizen.short.gy/6dkwZk.

[46] Ella Nilsen and Sean Lyngaas, Trump energy secretary allowed 23-year-old DOGE rep to access IT systems over objections from general counsel, CNN (Feb. 7, 2025), https://citizen.short.gy/DJQXW1.

[47] Energy appoints Twitter, Google and DOGE alum as new CIO, NextGov (March 13, 2025), https://citizen.short.gy/yFBZRw.

[48] Hannah Northey and Christa Marshall, Third DOGE official crops up at Energy Department, E&E News by Politico (Feb. 10, 2025), https://citizen.short.gy/Q1M8kB.

[49] Tara Copp and Anthony Izaguirre, Trump administration tries to bring back fired nuclear weapons workers in DOGE reversal, AP (Feb. 16, 2025), https://citizen.short.gy/MOeOBT.

[50] Rene Marsh and Ella Nilsen, Trump officials fired nuclear staff not realizing they oversee the country’s weapons stockpile, sources say, CNN (Feb. 14, 2025), https://citizen.short.gy/PF4EqJ.

[51] Desmond Butler, et. al, Elon Musk’s business empire is built on $38 billion in government funding, The Washington Post (Feb. 26, 2025), https://citizen.short.gy/FGbHX2.

[52] Letter to Chris Wright, https://citizen.short.gy/SeXXsN.

[53] Ian Duncan, DOGE employee cuts fall heavily on agency that regulates Musk’s Tesla, The Washington Post (Feb. 7, 2025), https://citizen.short.gy/uQ9ECn.

[54] Tom Carter, The agency that regulates vehicle safety — and Elon Musk’s Tesla — is another target of DOGE layoffs, Business Insider (Feb. 24, 2025), https://archive.ph/opZKC.

[55] Ian Duncan, DOGE employee cuts fall heavily on agency that regulates Musk’s Tesla, The Washington Post (Feb. 7, 2025), https://citizen.short.gy/uQ9ECn.

[56] Resources Related to Investigations and Recalls, National Highway Traffic Safety Transportation Administration, https://www.nhtsa.gov/resources-investigations-recalls.

[57] Kimberly Kindy and Brian Slodysko, Here are all the ways Tesla could benefit from Elon Musk’s close relationship with Donald Trump, The AP and Fortune (Feb. 11, 2025), https://citizen.short.gy/ArcnaL.

[58] Faiz Siddiqui, Musk’s fury over a Tesla investigation foreshadowed his war on Washington, The Washington Post (April 17, 2025), https://citizen.short.gy/PPb3ss.

[59] Tom Carter, DOGE job cuts will slow down robotaxi rollout, says fired federal worker, Business Insider (March 3, 2025), https://citizen.short.gy/3zOZAO.

[60] Ian Duncan, DOGE employee cuts fall heavily on agency that regulates Musk’s Tesla, The Washington Post (Feb. 7, 2025), https://citizen.short.gy/uQ9ECn.

[61] Stephen Morris et. al, Musk’s Doge fired self-drive car safety experts at agency that regulates Tesla, Financial Times (April 10, 2025), https://citizen.short.gy/Nq4n2k.

[62] Patrick Wingrove, Exclusive: FDA staff struggle to meet product review deadlines after DOGE layoffs, Reuters (March 27, 2025), https://citizen.short.gy/iZHLzg and Ahmed Aboulenein and Sriparna Roy, Kennedy to slash 10,000 jobs in major overhaul of US health agencies, Reuters (March 27, 2025), https://citizen.short.gy/W5YrV0.

[63] Madison Alder, FDA tech officials complied with DOGE’s requests for data. The staff reductions still came, Fedscoop (April 21, 2025), https://citizen.short.gy/S8IhTE.

[64] Rachael Levy, Marisa Taylor and Akriti Sharma, Elon Musk’s Neuralink wins FDA approval for human study of brain implants, Reuters (March 26, 2023), https://citizen.short.gy/wqU1L2.

[65] Musk’s Neuralink gets FDA’s breakthrough device tag for ‘Blindsight’ implant, Reuters (Sept. 18, 2024), https://citizen.short.gy/HOzswR.

[66] Meg Kinnard, A comprehensive look at DOGE’s firings and layoffs so far, AP (Feb. 21, 2025), https://citizen.short.gy/5VSZam.

[67] Rachael Levy and Marisa Taylor, Exclusive: FDA staff reviewing Musk’s Neuralink were included in DOGE employee firings, sources say, Reuters (Feb. 18, 2023), https://citizen.short.gy/VEPMHJ.

[68] Tara Copp, Some of the 400 jobs that were cut at the FAA helped support air safety, a union says, AP (Feb. 19, 2025), https://citizen.short.gy/qOozTf.

[69] Eric Lipton and Kirsten Grind, Elon Musk’s Business Empire Scores Benefits Under Trump Shake-Up, The New York Times (Feb. 11, 2025), https://citizen.short.gy/qsUD76.

[70] William Harwood, FAA orders investigation after SpaceX Starship breaks up and showers debris, CBS News (Jan. 17, 2025), https://citizen.short.gy/94nQCJ.

[71] See, https://x.com/SpaceX/status/1836765012855287937.

[72] Warren Presses Musk for Answers on His Role in Resignation of FAA Administrator, Office of Senator Elizabeth Warren (Feb. 1, 2025), https://citizen.short.gy/1qvMcc and Roll Call Vote 118th Congress – 1st Session, On the Nomination (Confirmation: Michael G. Whitaker, of Vermont, to be Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration), United States Senate (Oct. 24, 2023), https://citizen.short.gy/55i29U.

[73] Sara Dorn, Musk Reportedly Planning New Starlink Deal With FAA—Raising New Conflict-Of-Interest Concerns, Forbes (Feb. 28, 2025), https://citizen.short.gy/iyTYCw and Ian Duncan, Hannah Natanson, Lori Aratani and Faiz Siddiqui, FAA targeting Verizon contract in favor of Musk’s Starlink, sources say, The Washington Post (Feb. 26, 2025),  https://citizen.short.gy/lH26B3.

[74] See https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1895129237478162621, David Shepardson, USDOT says Verizon not moving fast enough on $2.4 billion FAA contract, Reuters (March 11, 2025), https://citizen.short.gy/LpBH3Y and David Shepardson, Musk’s Starlink denies it wants to take over FAA US air traffic contract, Reuters (March 5, 2025), https://citizen.short.gy/BSOOtq.

[75] David Shepardson, DOGE team is not involved in FAA decision on Starlink terminals, acting chief says, Reuters (March 22, 2025), https://citizen.short.gy/2RjDbx.

[76] Mission, Securities and Exchange Commission, https://www.sec.gov/about/mission.

[77] See https://x.com/DOGE_SEC/status/1891519437951365238.

[78] Declan Harty, Musk’s DOGE expected to arrive at SEC in coming days, Politico (Feb. 17, 2025), https://citizen.short.gy/6qSnX0.

[79] Chris Prentice, US SEC offers staff $50,000 to resign or retire, memo says, Reuters (March 3, 2025), https://citizen.short.gy/Q3yqIg.

[80] Eric Lipton and Kirsten Grind, Elon Musk’s Business Empire Scores Benefits Under Trump Shake-Up, The New York Times (Feb. 11, 2025), https://citizen.short.gy/qsUD76 and Litigation Releases, Elon R. Musk, Securities and Exchange Commission, https://citizen.short.gy/H07bGD.

[81] Complaint, Securities and Exchange Commission v. Elon R. Musk, Securities and Exchange Commission, https://citizen.short.gy/oKejt8.

[82] Clare Duffy, Elon Musk didn’t show up for testimony in a probe over his $44 billion Twitter takeover. Now the SEC wants sanctions, CNN (Sept. 20, 2024), https://citizen.short.gy/S3bnNO.

[83] Eric Lipton and Kirsten Grind, Elon Musk’s Business Empire Scores Benefits Under Trump Shake-Up, The New York Times (Feb. 11, 2025), https://citizen.short.gy/qsUD76.

[84] See https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1867357433493872874?s=46.

[85] NASA Johnson Space Center Oral History Project Commercial Crew & Cargo Program Office Edited Oral History Transcript, NASA (Jan. 15, 2013), https://citizen.short.gy/Y3l79n.

[86] Joey Roulette, Acting NASA chief says DOGE to review space agency spending as hundreds take buyout, Reuters (Feb. 13, 2025), https://citizen.short.gy/cJLuI0.

[87] Id.

[88] Giselle Ruhiyyih Ewing, Musk Is Positioned to Profit Off Billions in New Government Contracts, The New York Times (March. 23, 2025), https://citizen.short.gy/OxTwQS.

[89] Eric Lipton, Elon Musk’s Business Empire Scores Benefits Under Trump Shake-Up, The New York Times (Feb. 11, 2025), https://citizen.short.gy/MCBEhT.

[90] Project Announcement: Inspection of USAID’s Oversight of Starlink Terminals Provided to the Government of Ukraine, USAID Office of Inspector General (May 14, 2024), https://oig.usaid.gov/node/6814 and Theo Burman, Alleged USAID Probe Into Starlink Raises Elon Musk Conflict Concerns, Newsweek (Feb. 6, 2025), https://citizen.short.gy/iwgIOE.

[91] Id.

[92] Gary Fields and Ellen Knickmeyer, USAID workers clear their desks in Trump’s final push to dismantle the agency, AP (Feb. 27, 2025), https://citizen.short.gy/qjlppn.

[93] Elizabeth Chuck, What is USAID? How it works and what could happen if Trump and Musk shut it down, AP (Feb. 27, 2025), https://citizen.short.gy/YtsEJ9.

[94] American Foreign Service Ass’n v. Trump, Public Citizen, https://citizen.short.gy/WWloPh.

[95] Ellen Knickmeyer, Secretary of State Rubio says purge of USAID programs complete, with 83% of agency’s programs gone, AP (March 10, 2025), https://citizen.short.gy/7lUMjs.

[96] Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt Briefs Members of the Medica Feb. 5, 2025, Rev (Feb 5, 2025), https://citizen.short.gy/8TiLgx.