The businessman received the status of a “special civil servant”. This will allow him not to report potential conflicts of interest in defense contracts for SpaceX.
Businessman Elon Musk, who is to head the new US Government Performance and Results Department, has been granted the status of a “special civil servant.” Reuters reports this with reference to a statement from the White House.
White House spokeswoman Caroline Leavitt confirmed to reporters that Musk had officially joined the US presidential administration.
According to the media, this status allows Musk to work for the federal government, but potentially avoid the obligation to report conflicts of interest and finances that apply to ordinary government employees. Musk will continue to run the electric car company Tesla and the aerospace company SpaceX. As CEO of SpaceX, Musk manages the company’s contracts with the Pentagon and intelligence agencies, which are estimated to be worth billions of dollars, Reuters writes.
At the same time, he will lead US President Donald Trump’s cost-cutting initiative called the Office of Government Efficiency, the agency writes.
A senior White House official noted that Musk does not receive a salary from the government and acts within the law.
Special civil servants are appointed for a period of no more than 130 days, Reuters writes, but Trump did not specify how long Musk would remain in office.
According to USAToday, although President Donald Trump had previously appointed Musk to head the new Department of Government Efficiency, Musk has not yet been formally a federal employee.
As a reminder, on December 20, the first day of his term, US President Donald Trump created the Department of Government Effectiveness (DOGE) at the White House. Earlier, the White House confirmed that billionaire Vivek Ramaswamy would not head DOGE, as he plans to run for governor of Ohio. This leaves Elon Musk as the only clear contender for the head of DOGE.
