These departments investigating Elon Musk have been cut by DOGE and the Trump administration
Elon Musk owns the country’s most successful electric car maker in Tesla. His SpaceX rocket company is one of NASA’s biggest contractors, relied upon to service the International Space Station. His social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, dominates public discourse.
Now, after spending more than $200 million to elect Donald Trump to a second term as president, the wealthiest man on earth has ensconced himself in the White House at the president’s side. He is serving as a policy advisor while his Department of Government Efficiency, popularly know as DOGE, scours the federal bureaucracy for $1 trillion in savings.
But Musk’s growing involvement in the federal government’s business has raised questions about potential conflicts with his own companies, including SpaceX, which has billions of dollars in federal contracts.
Summary: Elon Musk’s Expanding Power and the Officials Removed During Investigations Into His Companies
After donating over $200 million to help re-elect Donald Trump, Elon Musk has assumed a powerful role in the new administration as a policy advisor and head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Critics allege that Musk is using this position to protect his companies—Tesla, SpaceX, X, and Neuralink—from regulation and federal investigation.
Many key officials overseeing investigations into Musk’s businesses were fired, forced out, or replaced shortly after Trump’s return to office:
Officials Removed Amid Investigations Into Musk’s Companies
1. Gwynne Wilcox – Chair, National Labor Relations Board (NLRB)
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Fired Jan. 27
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NLRB was pursuing multiple labor cases against Tesla and SpaceX, including illegal firings over internal protests.
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A judge later ruled her firing unlawful, but Trump has appealed.
2. Jocelyn Samuels, Charlotte Burrows, and Karla Gilbride – Commissioners and General Counsel, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)
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Fired late January
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EEOC filed a pending lawsuit against Tesla over widespread racial harassment of Black workers at its Fremont, CA factory.
3. Erik Soskin – Inspector General, U.S. Department of Transportation
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Fired Jan. 24
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Oversaw probes into Tesla’s Summon and Full Self-Driving features after multiple crashes, including a pedestrian death.
4. Michael Whitaker – Administrator, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
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Resigned Jan. 20 after public pressure from Musk
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FAA had fined SpaceX and was reviewing its launch expansion plans in Texas, which environmentalists opposed.
5. Bill Nelson – Administrator, NASA
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Resigned Jan. 20
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Musk has lobbied for NASA to end the International Space Station to prioritize a Mars mission using SpaceX rockets. His replacement, Jared Isaacman, is a private SpaceX astronaut and investor.
6. Rohit Chopra – Director, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)
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Fired Feb. 1
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CFPB was investigating digital payment fraud. Musk’s X platform is launching its own payment app, X Money, which would compete with Zelle and Venmo. Musk has publicly called for the CFPB to be abolished.
7. Ellen Weintraub – Chair, Federal Election Commission (FEC)
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Fired by Trump
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Oversaw a pending complaint that Musk’s America PAC may have violated campaign finance laws.
8. Merrick Garland – Attorney General, Department of Justice (DOJ)
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Replaced by Trump ally Pam Bondi
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DOJ dropped a lawsuit against SpaceX alleging it discriminated against refugees and asylees in hiring.
9. Gary Gensler – Chair, Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
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Replaced Jan. 20
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SEC had just filed a complaint alleging Musk failed to disclose his stake in Twitter/X, potentially saving $150 million. DOGE also offered buyouts to SEC staff, raising concerns of weakened enforcement.
10. Robert Storch – Inspector General, Department of Defense
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Fired by Trump
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Was reviewing Musk’s suitability for defense contracts after reports of unauthorized contact with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Musk has also reportedly received private briefings on China-related defense strategy.
11. Robert Califf – Commissioner, Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
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Stepped down Jan. 20
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DOGE layoffs removed staff overseeing Neuralink, Musk’s brain-implant company. The FDA is now trying to rehire some of those staff.
12. Sean O’Donnell – Inspector General, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
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Fired
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Oversaw probes into Tesla’s hazardous waste disposal and SpaceX’s environmental violations in Texas.
The Bigger Picture
With Musk advising President Trump and heading DOGE, the administration has halted or dismissed investigations into 89 companies, including Musk’s. Critics, including Public Citizen and members of Congress, argue this represents a dangerous merging of private interest and public power.
