U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan
Press Release

Pocan to Introduce ELON MUSK Act to Ban Federal Govt Contracts for Special Government Employees, Like Bans For Congress, Many Fed Employees

The legislation, the Eliminate Looting of Our Nation by Mitigating Unethical State Kleptocracy (ELON MUSK) Act, ensures transparency and honesty in government spending

By - Feb 5th, 2025 07:58 am

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Representative Mark Pocan (WI-02) announced plans to introduce the Eliminate Looting of Our Nation by Mitigating Unethical State Kleptocracy (ELON MUSK) Act. The legislation would direct Federal Agencies to terminate any contracts held by a Special Government Employee, similar to bans for Members of Congress and other federal employees.

If a position like a “special government employee” has the authority to recommend spending decisions by agencies, they could clearly steer federal spending to their own self-interest. Like the bans on receiving federal contracts for Members of Congress and many others in the federal government, it is imperative that no “special government employee” should have the opportunity for personal gain, especially in areas where they can direct federal taxpayer funds.

“No one should have the ability to direct funds towards their personal interest if they are working for the federal government. That’s why we don’t allow Members of Congress or many other federal employees to receive federal contracts. The same is even more true with a special government employee with wide authority to direct federal expenses,” said Representative Pocan. “No government employee, ‘Special’ or not, should have any financial interest in who the government does business with. Elon Musk is the poster child for this type of potential abuse. After more than $20 billion in federal contracts, there’s no way Musk can be objective in what he’s doing. Protecting the taxpayers has to be our number one priority.”

Last year, Elon Musk spent more than a quarter of a billion dollars to help elect Donald Trump. Since Election Day, he has become $154 billion richer, a nearly 600x return on his investment. Now, Elon Musk, an unelected billionaire, has taken control of highly sensitive information in the U.S. Treasury Department and has tried to shut down USAID without any federal oversight. Contracts to his business interests by the Federal Government have exceeded $20 billion, with some additional contracts with undisclosed amounts, as in the case of Starlink.

Text of the legislation will be released as soon as possible.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.

Mentioned in This Press Release

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