Trump gave world's richest man with $300+ billion in federal contracts unprecedented government access and power to slash spending. Ethics expert: “If he participates... he commits a crime.” Musk later admitted DOGE was only 'somewhat successful" and regretted doing it.
Trump Gives Musk, Whose Companies Hold More Than $300 Billion in Federal Contracts, Power to Slash Spending
Key Facts10
- 01Six companies with $300B+ in federal contracts (SpaceX, Tesla, Starlink, Neuralink, xAI, Boring Company)
- 02White House exempted Musk from filing public financial disclosure
- 03Accessed Treasury payment systems (processes trillions of dollars)
- 04Accessed classified information at USAID
- 05NLRB investigating SpaceX and Tesla - while DOGE tried to cancel NLRB Buffalo office lease
- 06SEC suing Musk for securities violations - while DOGE reviewed SEC
- 07Democrats documented '100 conflicts of interest' in first 100 days
- 08317,000 federal employees departed in 2025
- 09Promised trillions in savings; delivered only ~$200 billion
- 10DOGE officially shuttered by late 2025
Sources3
Verified across 3 sources