Billionaire Elon Musk’s expanding influence over key areas of the US government is raising alarms among Democrats and constitutional scholars, who are questioning the scope of his authority and warning of potential conflicts of interest, Al Jazeera reports.
In the weeks since President Trump’s inauguration, Musk, who heads the newly-established Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), has swiftly reshaped the federal bureaucracy. This unprecedented move has ignited concerns about a constitutional crisis or even a coup, due to Musk acting without direct oversight from the US Congress.
Reports indicate that DOGE officials have halted operations at USAID, identified millions of government employees for potential layoffs, gained access to classified information and sensitive data on millions of Americans, and taken control of the Treasury payments system responsible for managing trillions of dollars in government spending.
Musk, officially designated a “special government employee” by the White House on Monday, does not hold elected office and is not a member of Trump’s Cabinet, which requires Senate confirmation.
As the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, Musk has billions of dollars in existing government contracts, raising questions about potential conflicts of interest as he leads the cost-cutting initiative.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed that he had assumed the role of acting director of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), an agency Musk had previously labeled a “criminal organization”.
Musk seemingly confirmed reports that his task force had taken control of the US Treasury payments system.
“The only way to stop fraud and waste of taxpayer money is to follow the payment flows and pause suspicious transactions for review. Obviously,” he wrote on X, adding, “Naturally, this causes those who have been aiding, abetting and receiving fraudulent payments very upset. Too bad.”
