Ethics experts have been sounding the alarm since well before Election Day that wealthy special interests were poised to have an excessive amount of influence on the federal government under a second Trump administration.
These concerns came after Trump made public promises that his most fervent surrogate, billionaire tech mogul Elon Musk, would have a role in his presidential cabinet.
President-elect Trump is making good on his promise. Little is known about the official composition and chartering of his newly announced Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Its official mission is to "provide advice and guidance from outside of government," and it will be co-headed by Musk and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy.
Those Trump has nominated so far to his future cabinet and other high-ranking positions have their own slates of ethics concerns. It is particularly troubling, however, that Musk and Ramaswamy will be co-heading a department that is technically outside of the federal government. In an advisory role, neither magnate would be subject to government conflict of interest laws or any form of oversight.
If Ramaswamy or Musk are allowed to advise on cost-cutting, regulations or government contracting, they will have significant opportunities to advance their own personal business interests.
In 2023, Ramaswamy, who made his fortune in biotechnology and made a short-lived bid for the GOP presidential nomination, reported that he was heavily invested in major companies like Microsoft and Lockheed Martin. He remains one of the largest stakeholders in Roivant Sciences, the biotechnology company he founded in 2014.
Ramaswamy is an outspoken critic of bureaucracy and regulations enacted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration — the agency responsible for regulating companies like his. As co-head of DOGE, Ramaswamy could potentially call for cutting regulations that would benefit his personal fortune, posing a concerning conflict of interest.
The full scope of what Elon Musk stands to gain from directing agency reconstruction cannot be fully stated. Musk and the federal government are already deeply intertwined: his companies Tesla and SpaceX accounting for at least $15.4 billion in government contracts over the past decade and spanning multiple agencies.
Any power to influence whether agencies cut costs or how government contracts are doled out would invite the potential for Musk to enhance his personal fortune.
Conflicts of interest may arise especially between Musk, the Federal Communications Commission, and the Federal Aviation Administration. Both agencies have key roles in regulating his satellite company SpaceX and its subsidiaries, and he’s publicly criticized decisions that limit rocket launches due to environmental concerns.
When Americans elect a president, they expect them to faithfully choose allies with the experience and conduct necessary to run a successful administration that serves the people.
It is concerning in of itself that Trump seems to be selecting his nominations based on their loyalty to his movement over specific qualifications. That concern increases when you realize that his pool of potential allies contains ultra-wealthy businessmen who could regulate the businesses they head.
Trump’s nominees will greatly influence how he shapes policies, regulations and laws that impact the lives of all Americans. We deserve leaders that will place the public good over personal gain.
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