Elon Musk spent roughly $300 million to elect President Donald Trump and has the opportunity to profit from taxpayer dollars at the expense of the American people.
As part of his work with the so-called U.S. DOGE Service, it appears that Musk corrupted decision-making at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and unfairly influenced government decisions to benefit his satellite business, Starlink — a clear and illegal conflict of interest.
Campaign Legal Center (CLC) has requested the Department of Transportation’s acting inspector general investigate whether the FAA’s decisions regarding Starlink were improperly influenced.
The American people deserve transparency to know that government officials are working for them, not their own financial interests.
Concerns Over Decision-Making at the FAA
As a “special government employee,” multibillionaire Elon Musk must abide by laws that require government officials to remove themselves from overseeing matters that could impact their financial interests.
However, Musk has shown no attempt to remove himself from matters that involve his companies, Tesla and SpaceX, which account for at least $15.4 billion in government contracts over the past decade and span multiple government agencies. Instead, he has grown even wealthier since joining the administration.
In particular, he is closely tied with the FAA’s use of Starlink, the satellite internet service operated by SpaceX. Musk’s public statements claim that he and DOGE are directly involved with advising the FAA on the modernization of its air traffic control technology.
Musk announced his involvement after publicly criticizing another company that works with the FAA — and who also directly competes with Starlink.
After his public statements criticizing his competitor, the FAA reportedly considered canceling a $2.4 billion contract with Verizon. Separately, the FAA has confirmed that it has begun using Starlink for parts of its air traffic control system.
CLC is calling for an inspector general investigation to confirm these facts and determine whether Elon Musk has violated the law.
Conflicts of Interest Corrupt Our Government
To maintain a government of, by and for the people, executive branch officials and appointees must use their power to benefit the people, not to seek personal or financial gain.
When a politician or government official has personal financial stakes — like stocks or business interests — that prevent them from making an unbiased decision, this is a conflict of interest.
Conflict of interest laws exist to ensure government officials are working to make Americans’ lives better, not just making themselves richer. If Elon Musk influenced decisions at the FAA to benefit his company, he is preventing the agency from making an unbiased choice solely in the interest of the public.
Government Officials Should Serve the People
Musk’s problematic conflicts of interest are a clear consequence of President Trump’s appointment of individuals who have financial holdings related to their new and powerful roles in government.
These unelected individuals are influencing decisions that affect the people without any accountability to the people.
Our ethics complaint filed with the FAA is just one of the many ways CLC has been responding to the threats to our system of government.
In addition, CLC, on behalf of the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL), OCA – Asian Pacific American Advocates (OCA), the Sierra Club and the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), is suing Elon Musk and DOGE for acting beyond their power to slash federal funding, dismantle federal agencies and fire federal employees.
We have also continued to demand high ethical standards from the Trump administration, tracking conflicts of interest within the executive branch and advocating for stronger ethics laws that keep our government working for the people.
With your support, CLC is determined to make sure that any member of the Trump administration who attempts to illegally manipulate the government for their own self-interests will be held accountable.