House Dems Question DOD and NASA About SpaceX Conflicts of Interest
House Democrats are raising conflict-of-interest questions regarding SpaceX and CEO Elon Musk. In a letter Tuesday to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and acting NASA Administrator Janet Petro, the lawmakers said Musk's role as head of the Department of Governmental Efficiency conflicts with SpaceX's role as a government contractor, given the influence DOGE has over agencies' contracts and contract bids. They said there's also a conflict of interest regarding DOGE's influence over regulators that oversee SpaceX. They called for a probe of whether SpaceX has received or could get special treatment due to Musk's role in the Trump administration. There also are questions about whether SpaceX used offshore accounts to mask the identities of Chinese investors, the lawmakers said.
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The letter asked Hegseth and Petro to reply to questions by May 20, including what conflict-of-interest disclosures SpaceX has to make before getting a contract with their department or agency. Signing the letter were House Armed Services ranking member Adam Smith of Washington; Science, Space and Technology ranking member Zoe Lofgren of California; Strategic Forces Subcommittee ranking member Seth Moulton of Massachusetts; and Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee ranking member Valerie Foushee of North Carolina.