Exclusive: House Democrats probe Elon Musk's conflicts of interest with NASA

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Source: Axios

Updated 3 hours ago


House Democrats Monday launched an investigation into potential conflicts of interest between NASA and Elon Musk, who has inserted himself into the federal government under President Trump.

Why it matters: The billionaire's SpaceX is one of the agency's largest private sector contractors, and Musk has been overhauling federal spending at the helm of DOGE.

Rep Maxwell Alejandro Frost (D-Fla.) and Rep. Gery Connolly (D-Va.) sent a letter to Iris Lan, NASA's chief legal officer, requesting information and documents by April 21.

They asked how NASA is ensuring that Musk isn't exploiting the agency to enrich himself and his companies, which they said would violate ethics rules for his position as a special government employee.

What they're saying: "At NASA, where Mr. Musk has both benefited from significant contracts and has the potential to receive vast amounts of new business, his defiance of recusal laws and control of operations directly benefit his businesses," the letter said.

"The known conflicts of interest presented by this arrangement are illegal and must be addressed immediately."

SpaceX didn't immediately respond to Axios' request for comment.

They requested a list of actions NASA is taking to ensure Musk isn't permitted access to information that would give his businesses an advantage over competitors

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By the numbers: SpaceX has received more than $15 billion in funding from NASA, the Washington Post reported last month.

The agency has slated more than $525 million to SpaceX since President Trump took office and Musk began slashing other federal funding.

Read more: https://www.axios.com/2025/04/07/house-democrats-investigation-elon-musk-nasa-space-x-conflicts