US lawmakers question Musk's dual role at SpaceX and government agency

Washington: Democratic lawmakers on key House committees raised concerns about potential conflicts of interest from Elon Musk's dual roles as SpaceX CEO and a Special Government Employee overseeing changes at NASA and the Department of Defense, a letter sent to the agencies on Tuesday said.

The letter addressed to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and NASA Acting Administrator Janet Petro expressed alarm by House Democrats over Musk's potential conflicts, given his role spearheading the Trump administration's massive federal overhaul through the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE.

"Mr. Musk's dual role creates an inherent conflict of interest between SpaceX's status as a large government contractor and DOGE's influence at agencies overseeing SpaceX contracts, contract bids, and regulations governing the company and its activities," the letter signed by the top Democrats on the House Armed Services Committee and the committee on Science, Space and Technology and others said.

DOGE is currently overseeing significant organizational changes at both the Department of Defense and NASA. These changes include the dismissal of probationary Defense employees, the cancellation of hundreds of millions of dollars in grants and contracts at NASA, and the elimination of entire programs at both agencies.

Simultaneously, SpaceX continues to serve as a large contractor for both DoD and NASA, bidding on and winning additional contracts even after Musk began his work for the Trump administration.

"Because SpaceX performs significant work for the federal government across the national security and civil space architectures, even the perception of a conflict of interest is very troubling, and Mr. Musk's influence over the agencies awarding large contracts to his company goes far beyond mere perception," the letter said.

Musk has been at the helm of SpaceX since its founding in 2002. The company has become a major player in the space industry, securing numerous contracts with NASA and the Department of Defense.