For four months, Elon Musk ran the Department of Government Efficiency and directed cuts across the federal government. DOGE terminated contracts for agencies ranging from the Department of Education to USAID to the EPA. Programs targeting emissions, equity research, and climate science were cancelled or gutted.
SpaceX contracts were not touched. Tesla contracts were not touched. Starlink contracts were not touched.
New disclosures published in April 2026 reveal how DOGE actually worked, and the picture it presents is not cost-cutting. It is competitive advantage masquerading as fiscal discipline.
The Numbers Tell the Story
Musk's companies hold more than $15.4 billion in federal contracts spanning multiple agencies. SpaceX alone holds more than $20 billion in contracts with NASA and the Department of Defense for satellite launches and Space Force operations, including a $5.9 billion contract awarded in April 2025 to support U.S. Space Force rocket launches through 2029.
Before inauguration, federal agencies had at least 32 open investigations into Musk's companies. After inauguration, Musk was placed in charge of DOGE and given access to those same agencies. Not one of the 32 investigations was completed. Several were closed. None resulted in enforcement action.
The FAA Pattern
Musk's conflict at the FAA is among the most documented. Starlink competes directly with Verizon's government broadband contracts. After Musk publicly criticized Verizon, reporting emerged that DOGE-influenced officials at the FAA began considering canceling a $2.4 billion government broadband contract with Verizon. The Campaign Legal Center filed a formal complaint documenting the coordination.
The FAA also regulates SpaceX launches. Musk used DOGE access to reduce FAA staff, including in the division responsible for commercial space licensing. The agency that licenses SpaceX rockets now has fewer people reviewing SpaceX applications.
Self-Policed Conflicts
The White House confirmed Musk himself would decide when his work at DOGE overlapped with his private business interests. He would recuse himself if a conflict arose. He would determine when a conflict arose.
The Economic Policy Institute documented in April 2026 that over DOGE's first 100 days, Musk's companies benefited from roughly $2.5 billion in new or expanded federal contracts while government spending on competing vendors was cut. Musk's personal net worth climbed to an estimated $811 billion during this period. This is not efficiency. This is capture.
The Record Stands
Musk's formal role at DOGE has wound down. But the structural advantages he created remain. The agencies he weakened are still understaffed. The contracts he protected are still in place. The investigations that were closed cannot easily be reopened.
The wealthiest person in the world was given control over the regulatory apparatus that governed him. He ran it in his own interest. The record is there for anyone who wants to look.
Sources
- New disclosures reveal how DOGE actually worked (Washington Post, April 2026)
- Corruption in plain sight: How Elon Musk benefited from the first 100 days (EPI, 2026)
- Is Musk Using the FAA to Benefit Himself and SpaceX? (Campaign Legal Center)
- Elon Musk Has Grown Even Wealthier Through Serving in Trump's Administration (Campaign Legal Center)
- 130 Days of Elon Musk Report (Sen. Elizabeth Warren)
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