A group of 42 Democratic lawmakers wants the Pentagon’s watchdog to look into billionaire Elon Musk’s role in the contracting process for the “Golden Dome” missile defense shield, a project pushed by President Trump meant to protect the U.S. homeland from incoming missiles.
In a letter sent to the Defense Department inspector general on Thursday, the House and Senate lawmakers asked for a review into the Pentagon’s procurement process for Golden Dome, citing concerns over whether contracts for the system are “meant to enrich Mr. Musk and other elites.”
The letter follows a Reuters report last week that found Musk’s company SpaceX and its two partners, Palantir and Anduril, were front-runners to win a major contract in building out Golden Dome. All three companies were founded by men who politically supported Trump in his bid for the White House, with Musk donating more than a quarter-billion dollars to the president’s campaign and now serving as a special adviser as he runs the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
“This is a deeply troubling report,” the lawmakers wrote. “All of this raises concerns about whether defense contracts to build a Golden Dome are an effective way to protect Americans or are meant to enrich Mr. Musk and other elites.”
Rep. Greg Casar (D-Texas), who along with Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) is leading the group, revealed the letter in a post on the social platform X.
“Trump wants to spend trillions on a ‘Golden Dome’ missile defense shield — and Musk’s SpaceX ‘just so happens’ to be the frontrunner for the contracts,” Casar wrote.
Trump in a Jan. 27 executive order directed the Pentagon to develop a next generation missile shield known as Golden Dome, a system experts estimate could cost trillions of dollars to develop and field. The project looks to build a network of satellites and space-based sensors to detect, track and destroy any advanced missiles aimed at the U.S.
To jump-start Golden Dome, the GOP-led budget reconciliation bill contains nearly $25 billion for the project, contracts from which are sought by Lockheed Martin, Boeing Co. and Northrop Grumman, in addition to SpaceX.
But the lawmakers said they worry there is a serious conflict of interest with Musk and a possible contract award to SpaceX given his position in the government while still remaining CEO at the company.
“If Mr. Musk were to exercise improper influence over the Golden Dome contract, it would be another example of a disturbing pattern of Mr. Musk flouting conflict of interest rules,” they wrote, pointing to DOGE’s directed cuts to agencies that regulate Musk’s companies and recent Space Force contracts awarded to SpaceX.
The group also said it worries about the potential for a “subscription service” in running Golden Dome, a method proposed by SpaceX that could allow the firm to bypass traditional Pentagon procurement rules and curtail government control over how the system is developed and priced.
“A subscription model would also give Mr. Musk unacceptable ongoing leverage over United States national security,” according to the letter.
Golden Dome is still in the very early stages, with Defense officials still working to deliver options to Trump in line with his executive order.
It’s unknown whether the department’s inspector general will begin an investigation into Golden Dome’s procurement process, but should the watchdog find Musk is using his role in the federal government to obtain a contract for SpaceX, the lawmakers want them to refer any findings to the Justice Department for a criminal investigation.
