Democratic lawmakers on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee demanded a copy of Elon Musk’s financial disclosure from the White House on Thursday amid concerns about potential conflicts of interest between the tech billionaire’s numerous businesses and his work for the Trump administration.
Led by Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.), the top Democrat on the panel, the lawmakers requested the financial disclosure that Musk was legally required to submit as a special government employee.
“In an unprecedented arrangement, President Donald Trump has bestowed expansive and unlawful authority to Mr. Musk, an unelected billionaire,” Connolly and 20 other members wrote in a letter to White House counsel David Warrington.
“The Trump Administration has failed to make public Mr. Musk’s financial disclosure filings, hiding the true extent of his conflicts from the public,” they added.
The Oversight Democrats are also seeking a document from the White House certifying that Musk’s potential conflicts of interest were considered “too remote or inconsequential to affect the integrity” of his service.
As federal employees are barred from participating in government matters in which they have a financial interest, they need a waiver asserting that the conflict is unlikely to affect their work, the lawmakers noted.
Musk’s expansive network of businesses, including X, SpaceX, Tesla, Neuralink and the Boring Company, have repeatedly raised concerns about potential conflicts of interest amid his prominent role leading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
As DOGE has moved to slash large swaths of government spending, cutting tens of thousands of federal employees and gutting certain agencies, lawmakers and outside observers have emphasized the ways in which Musk’s companies could potentially benefit.
Musk reiterated Wednesday he plans to step back from his DOGE work going forward, limiting his time in Washington to one to two days a week.
The shift comes as Musk’s government work has weighed heavily on Tesla. The electric vehicle firm has largely become a political symbol for the billionaire and his DOGE efforts, making it a target for peaceful and violent demonstrations. The company reported a significant dip in earnings in the first quarter.
