The 'Elon Musk Act' appears in the United States

By Steve Jurvetson

Democratic Representative Mark Pocan of the United States House of Representatives has written a bill called the ' Elon Musk Act ,' which would require 'special government officials' like Elon Musk, who work for the U.S.government but are able to circumvent the conflict of interest and financial disclosure rules that apply to regular government employees, to terminate all federal contracts with the U.S. government.

The Elon Musk Act aims to ban 'special government employees' from having federal contracts | TechCrunch
https://techcrunch.com/2025/02/05/the-elon-musk-act-aims-to-ban-special-government-employees-from-having-federal-contracts/

Musk's electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer Tesla and space development company SpaceX are heavily dependent on government subsidies . For example, Tesla has received millions of dollars in government funding to set up EV charging stations, and SpaceX has won billions of dollars in government contracts for lunar exploration missions.

Some have speculated that Musk will receive greater benefits from the government because of his contribution to President Donald Trump's election victory . Specifically, it appears that regulations on Musk's companies may be relaxed under the Trump administration.

What kind of benefits will Elon Musk, who supported Donald Trump's victory in the US presidential election, receive? - GIGAZINE

To avoid such unfair preferential treatment, Pocan proposed the 'Eliminate Looting of Our Nation by Mitigating U.S. State Leptocracy Act,' also known as the ELON MUSK Act, an acronym of the first letters of each word.

'Elon Musk has won over $20 billion in government contracts. He's spending more, taking on new government roles, and trying to funnel even more money to himself. Enough is enough! My bill, the Elon Musk Act, is designed to end this fraud. Stop Elon's fraud!' Pocan posted on his X (formerly Twitter) account to promote his bill.

Elon Musk gets more than $20 billion in contracts from the US government and bought his way into a new role in the government where he can direct even more money to himself. Enough!

My new bill, the ELON MUSK Act, will end this grift!

Stop Elon's grift! pic.twitter.com/4jZNOY8kdh

— Rep. Mark Pocan (@RepMarkPocan) February 5, 2025

In the Elon Musk case, Pocan wrote, 'When a position like a special government official has the power to recommend spending decisions for a government agency, it is clear that they will be enticed to spend those expenditures for their own benefit. Government officials, 'special' or not, should not have a financial interest in anyone's dealings. Elon Musk is the epitome of this type of potential misconduct. With over $20 billion in federal contracts, how can he be objective about his actions? Protecting taxpayers must be our number one priority.'

The U.S. government's ethics code for special government employees prohibits them from 'participating in any matter that affects their financial interests.' It also advises them not to engage in outside activities that conflict with their duties, including their employment. However, after Trump took office, Musk became head of a new advisory group, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which has been tightening regulations on industries related to his companies.

Already, Americans are protesting Musk's involvement with U.S. government agencies. In addition, Democrats in the House and Senate have introduced bills to prevent 'illegal access to the Treasury Department's payment system by DOGE.'