Today, Rep. Gerald E. Connolly, Ranking Member of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, wrote a letter to Amy Gleason, the supposed “Acting Administrator” of DOGE, calling for much-needed transparency into the DOGE workforce, their potential conflicts of interest, and possible ethics violations. Despite promising that DOGE would be “maximally transparent,” Elon Musk is a walking conflict of interest and has failed to provide any details as to how many people work for him at DOGE—in paid or unpaid positions—let alone how many of these individuals may be continuing their outside employment, creating their own conflicts of interest and possible violations of privacy and ethics laws meant to protect the American people.
“I write regarding substantial conflicts of interest concerns in the Trump Administration, specifically related to the U.S. Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and Elon Musk,” wrote Ranking Member Connolly. “DOGE is making sweeping changes all while operating in secret, with no accountability, and in ways that the courts have repeatedly found to be unlawful. DOGE is not only concealing its work, but also hiding from the American people who is performing this work and, critically, what conflicts of interest they may have. Recent reporting indicates that members of the DOGE team have continued to work in lucrative private sector positions, including with companies that contract with the federal government, while serving in their government roles. This presents unprecedented conflicts of interest that jeopardize the ethical use of taxpayer funds and further erode Americans’ faith in their government.”
Despite the Administration’s half-hearted appointment of Ms. Gleason as the nominal head of DOGE, Elon Musk, President Trump’s largest campaign donor, was clearly handpicked to lead DOGE. In that capacity, Mr. Musk has personally disregarded ethics laws and wields significant government authority at agencies that directly affect his business ventures and personal wealth. Mr. Musk’s private business empire relies heavily on government funding. As of February 2025, Mr. Musk has been promised a combined total of at least $38 billion in contracts, loans, subsidies, and tax credits from the federal government as well as state governments.
These blatant conflicts of interest must be addressed to ensure DOGE representatives are not feeding government data or information back to their employers.
“Because DOGE operates with little to no transparency, it is impossible to know the full extent of the conflicts of interest permeating its workforce. Despite promising that DOGE would be ‘maximally transparent,’ Mr. Musk has provided no details as to how many people work for DOGE, in paid or unpaid positions, let alone how many of these people may be continuing their outside employment,” concluded Ranking Member Connolly.
Click here to read the letter to DOGE “Acting Administrator” Amy Gleason.