Senate Democrats have issued a report revealing that companies led by Elon Musk face at least $2.37 billion in potential legal liabilities from federal investigations, litigation, and regulatory oversight. The report aims to quantify the many conflicts of interest Musk has due to his work with “Doge”, a group he founded as a self-described “department of government efficiency”.
The report examines 65 actions against Musk across 11 agencies, calculating financial liabilities for 45 cases involving companies like Tesla, SpaceX, and Neuralink. One potential liability includes fines of $1.19 billion to Tesla over allegations it made false statements about its autopilot features.
The report notes that the estimated figure does not account for potential contracts or investigations that may be declined by the Trump administration. It states that while the $2.37 billion figure is a conservative estimate, it underestimates the benefits Musk could gain from avoiding legal risks due to his position in government.
Democrat Jeanne Shaheen has introduced a bill targeting Musk, which would prohibit awarding government contracts to companies owned by special government employees. The report urges Trump’s administration to provide relevant documents and information regarding Musk’s conflicts of interest.
The investigation highlights multiple agencies affected by Musk’s work, including the FAA and NHTSA, with ongoing investigations into Tesla operations. In February, Doge fired workers at NHTSA who specialized in self-driving car technology.
The Senate permanent subcommittee on investigations is bipartisan, but its report emphasizes the need for stronger oversight action against Musk, including independent audits of major contracts given to his affiliated companies. The report concludes that no individual should be above the law and warns that failure to act risks America succumbing to modern oligarchy.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/apr/28/elon-musk-doge-conflict-of-interest