Elon Musk could take on a unique role as a special government employee in the upcoming DOGE initiative led by Trump
Interestingly, he might be classified as a “special government employee.” This means he could work without the usual strict ethics rules that regular federal employees have. Some folks working on DOGE will be unpaid for six months before heading back to their regular jobs, and Musk could be one of them.
Now, a special government employee is someone who can be either paid or unpaid and is considered a temporary worker. The government can only keep them on for a maximum of 130 days within a year. This designation is pretty important because it means they face fewer conflict of interest rules compared to regular employees.
When Trump picked Musk for this role, it raised eyebrows. Some government watchdogs and Democratic politicians were concerned about potential conflicts of interest, especially with Musk’s ties to SpaceX and Tesla.
Senator Elizabeth Warren even wrote to Trump’s team, questioning how Musk could manage this role without running into conflicts. She warned that letting Musk influence government contracts without strict rules could lead to corruption.
Musk has also been quite active in supporting Trump, spending over $250 million to help him and other GOP candidates in the upcoming elections. Business Insider reached out to Trump’s team for their take on all this.
