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Ranking Members Frost and Connolly Launch Investigation Into Elon Musk’s Rampant Conflicts of Interest at NASA

Washington, April 7, 2025

Today, Rep. Maxwell Alejandro Frost, Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Economic Growth, Energy Policy, and Regulatory Affairs, and Rep. Gerald E. Connolly, Ranking Member of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, sent a letter to Iris Lan, Chief Legal Officer at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), requesting documents, information, and answers as to how NASA is ensuring Elon Musk is not exploiting NASA to enrich himself and his companies in violation of federal ethics rules.  As Elon Musk and his DOGE lackeys gut and terminate Americans’ vital programs and services under the guise of “efficiency,” he has conveniently ignored the potential waste, fraud, and abuse stemming from his own companies’ lucrative contracts worth billions in taxpayer dollars.  Ethics laws prevent political appointees, including Special Government Employees (SGEs), from taking part in any matter that might impact their personal finances.  

“At NASA, where Mr. Musk has both benefited from significant contracts and has the potential to receive vast amounts of new business, his defiance of recusal laws and control of operations directly benefit his businesses,” wrote the Ranking Members.  “The known conflicts of interest presented by this arrangement … are illegal and must be addressed immediately.”

As of February 2025, Mr. Musk and his companies have received a combined total of at least $38 billion in contracts, loans, subsidies, and tax credits from the federal government and state governments. In fact, Mr. Musk’s businesses have been more reliant on government funds than many of his competitors.  

Financial Benefits to Musk’s Companies from NASA include: 


  • Mr. Musk’s space exploration company, SpaceX, has received more than $15 billion in funding from NASA, making SpaceX the agency’s largest private sector contractor.
  • NASA has obligated more than $525 million to SpaceX since President Trump took office, including contracts NASA awarded to SpaceX in February with a combined value of approximately $400 million. On March 28, 2025, NASA also added an additional SpaceX rocket to an existing contract.
  • Mr. Musk has criticized the Space Launch System (SLS), a multibillion-dollar project led by Boeing, one of SpaceX’s competitors. The White House reportedly plans on cancelling the SLS program to free up funding that can instead be allocated to Mr. Musk’s priority of sending people to Mars.

In addition to these financial gains, Mr. Musk reportedly personally selected his friend and business partner, Jared Isaacman, to be President Trump’s nominee for NASA Administrator.  Mr. Isaacman’s personal stake in the contracts between SpaceX and the Polaris Program – his private spaceflight program launched in partnership with SpaceX – is valued at more than $50 million.  Notably, the extent of Mr. Musk’s own interests in Mr. Isaacman’s businesses has not been reported because the Trump Administration has not required Mr. Musk to file a public financial disclosure.

Furthermore, reporting indicates that individuals in Mr. Musk’s orbit are operating at the highest levels within NASA.  For instance, a longtime Tesla engineering manager is reportedly part of the DOGE team at NASA and has participated in conversations regarding mass layoffs at the agency.     

In order to ensure that NASA is complying with federal ethics and other relevant laws with respect to Elon Musk, the Ranking Members requested that NASA provide information, documents, and answers by April 21, 2025.  

Click here to read the letter to NASA Chief Legal Officer Iris Lan.  
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