Larson Introduces Bill to Ensure Transparency and End Conflicts of Interest for Elon Musk’s ‘DOGE’
Washington, D.C. - Today, Rep. John B. Larson (CT-01) introduced the Ending DOGE Conflicts Act to ensure transparency, end conflicts of interest, and establish independent review of government employees like Elon Musk.
The legislation would require Elon Musk, who is currently serving as a ‘Special Government Employee’ while also controlling companies with billions of dollars in government contracts, to file a public financial disclosure and face review for his potential conflicts of interest by the independent Office of Government Ethics.
“No one elected Elon Musk, yet Musk and his ‘DOGE’ cronies continue to dodge accountability while playing games with Americans’ hard-earned benefits,” said Larson. “His companies are supported by $15 billion in government contracts, but he is still not required to file same public disclosure that thousands of other federal employees are subject to. The Trump Administration has even admitted he is operating without independent review of his conflicts of interest. It is simply unacceptable for the wealthiest man in the world to be given unprecedented power to enrich himself with Americans’ taxpayer dollars, especially given the breach of privacy that has already occurred on his watch. The Ending DOGE Conflicts Act will close these loopholes that are allowing Musk to operate with impunity. The American people and the representatives they elect should have control over their government, not the billionaire class.”
"Even though Elon Musk's companies have secured billions of dollars in federal government contracts over the past several years, now that he's joined the federal government as a special government employee, a loophole in the current ethics framework means that his financial disclosure form is not required to be made public," said Debra Perlin, Vice President for Policy at Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. "Representative Larson's Ending DOGE Conflicts Act aims to change this by ensuring that special government employees who also have a financial interest in a company that is contracting with the government, like Musk, comply with the same public financial disclosure requirements required of other high-ranking government officials. Special government employees like Musk shouldn't be able to skirt transparency requirements just because they can afford to work without pay."
Rep. Larson introduced the Ending DOGE Conflicts Act with the following original cosponsors: Reps. Nanette Barragán (CA-44), Donald S. Beyer Jr. (VA-08), André Carson (IN-07), Sean Casten (IL-06), Angie Craig (MN-02), Judy Chu (CA-28), Gilbert R. Cisneros, Jr. (CA-31), Steve Cohen (TN-09), Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12), Joe Courtney (CT-02), Danny K. Davis (IL-07), April McClain Delaney (MD-06), Rosa DeLauro (CT-03), Chris Deluzio (PA-17), Shomari C. Figures (AL-02), Valerie Foushee (NC-04), Dan Goldman (NY-10), Raúl M. Grijalva (AZ-07), Hank Johnson (GA-04), Jonathan Jackson (IL-01), Greg Landsman (OH-01), Seth Magaziner (RI-02), Jim McGovern (MA-02), Gwen Moore (WI-04), Seth Moulton (MA-06), Kevin Mullin (CA-15), Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC-AL), Jimmy Panetta (CA-19), Brittany Pettersen (CO-07), Mike Quigley (IL-05), Delia C. Ramirez (IL-03), Andrea Salinas (OR-06), Linda Sánchez (CA-38), Jan Schakowsky (IL-09), Hillary J. Scholten (MI-03), Bennie G. Thompson (MS-02), Dina Titus (NV-01), Jill Tokuda (HI-02), Paul D. Tonko (NY-20), Norma J. Torres (CA-35),and Nydia M. Velázquez (NY-07).