Rep. Mark Pocan (D-WI) has introduced a bill to protect pertinent taxpayer information from President Donald Trump’s billionaire ally and admirer, Elon Musk.
The “Eliminate Looting of Our Nation by Mitigating Unethical State Kleptocracy (ELON MUSK) Act” would ban “special” government employees like Musk from having federal contracts.
“If a position like a ‘special government employee’ has the authority to recommend spending decisions by agencies, they could clearly steer federal spending to their own self-interest,” Pocan said in a Feb. 5 statement.
Pocan added, “Like the bans on receiving federal contracts for Members of Congress and many others in the federal government, it is imperative that no ‘special government employee’ should have the opportunity for personal gain, especially in areas where they can direct federal taxpayer funds.”
This comes as fallout unfolds with Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Trump tapped Musk, a private citizen, to lead the new department with an agency in charge of slashing the federal workforce and billions of dollars in government spending.
However, there has been growing concern that DOGE is being used to target agencies and programs that do not align with Trump’s agenda.Pocan said Musk spent over a quarter of a billion dollars to help elect Trump to the presidency for a second time. Since then, Pocan claims that Musk is $154 billion richer and has received a “600 times return on his investment.”
“Now, Elon Musk, an unelected billionaire, has taken control of highly sensitive information in
the U.S. Treasury Department and has tried to shut down USAID without any federal oversight,” said Pocan on why he’s introducing the bill. “Contracts to his business interests by the Federal Government have exceeded $20 billion, with some additional contracts with undisclosed amounts, as in the case of Starlink.”Added Pocan, “No one should have the ability to direct funds towards their personal interest if they are working for the federal government.”
According to Politico, Senate Democrats are also considering introducing a bill to block “unlawful access” to the Treasury Department payment system after Musk and his DOGE team gained access to it.
It is unlikely that the bill will move forward in the Republican-controlled Congress.
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