By Democrats are preparing to make Elon Musk a major investigative target if they regain the House next month, laying plans to scrutinize one of the Republican Party’s biggest donors while campaigning on affordability. According to POLITICO, lawmakers across several committees are examining potential investigations into his government service, federal contracts and business operations.
They have hated how DOGE undercut one of their biggest sources of funding.
The proposed inquiries would cover Musk’s brief tenure with the Department of Government Efficiency, contracts awarded to his companies and Starlink’s role in Ukraine. Democrats who could soon control committee agendas are already accusing him of corruption and damage to federal agencies.
“We definitely have a lot of questions about Elon Musk’s role in DOGE and it is something we plan to investigate,” said Sara Guerrero, a spokesperson for Rep. Robert Garcia of California, the top Democrat on the Oversight Committee.
The confrontation predates DOGE. During the 2024 presidential campaign, warnings that a Harris administration would pursue Musk centered on his support for Trump and mounting regulatory battles involving his companies. Former federal prosecutor Brett Tolman predicted multiple criminal investigations if Harris won, although that prediction was not a disclosed plan from her campaign. At the time, House Judiciary Republicans were also accusing the Federal Trade Commission of pressuring an independent assessor to punish Musk’s Twitter.
Now, Democratic lawmakers are describing the investigations they intend to pursue themselves. Rep. Pramila Jayapal of Washington pointed to questions about Starlink communications for Ukrainian forces as the United States seeks a peace agreement with Russia.
“What happens when one guy gets a giant contract from the government and then uses it to do something that shuts down communication in a war that has been extremely important to the United States to support Ukraine?” Jayapal said. “There’s a lot of different parts of the corruption around Musk.”
Rep. Zoe Lofgren of California said the science committee needs “to learn about the damage that DOGE inflicted on our science agencies.” In a statement, she accused Musk of helping dismantle federal programs.
“Elon Musk and his DOGE cronies stirred up chaos, ruined careers, and played a large role in illegal grant cancellations and firings of civil servants,” Lofgren said. “He helped orchestrate the systematic destruction of government programs and services over the last nearly two years. The sheer number of conflicts of interest are astounding.”
The spending fight has also exposed divisions among Republicans. When Musk left government in May 2025, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis criticized Congress for failing to enact DOGE’s proposed cuts. Musk’s frustration with Republican spending policy subsequently helped fuel his public break with Trump.
That rupture did not keep Musk out of Republican politics. By December 2025, he had resumed substantial financial support for GOP congressional campaigns after floating a third party, putting his money behind efforts to preserve the majorities Democrats now hope to overturn.
Rep. Greg Meeks of New York, the top Democrat on the Foreign Affairs Committee, wants “a full accounting of the damage Mr. Musk and DOGE caused,” particularly involving USAID. Rep. Greg Casar of Texas, who chairs the Congressional Progressive Caucus, placed Musk within a broader push to investigate relationships between wealthy individuals, corporations and government.
“And, of course, Elon Musk is on that list because it takes two to tango,” Casar said. Musk’s representatives did not respond to requests for comment, according to POLITICO.
The report comes on the heels of Sen. Elissa Slotkin’s call for legal cases against Trump allies intended to discourage young conservatives from joining his administration. The Michigan Democrat, often presented as a moderate, advocated pursuing “signature cases” against those who enabled the president, explicitly identifying fear of legal trouble as a tool to deter future recruits. “I want that deterrence message,” she said.
It’s another troubling reminder that while Democrats talk about gas prices, what they really seek to do is punish those who oppose them.
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