Elon Musk is officially an employee of the US government — but he's not getting a paycheck
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- Elon Musk, the head of DOGE, is officially an employee of the US federal government.
- The White House confirmed his employment on Monday. He will not receive a paycheck.
- Musk is a "special government employee," a role that's not supposed to last more than 130 days.
Elon Musk is officially an employee of the United States federal government.
A White House spokesman confirmed to Business Insider on Monday that the Tesla and SpaceX founder was a "special government employee" and would not receive a paycheck for his service.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt later told reporters at the White House that Musk has "abided by all applicable federal laws."
.@PressSec on Elon Musk: "I can confirm he's a special government employee. I can also confirm that he has abided by all applicable federal laws. As for his security clearance, I'm not sure, but I can check...I don't know about the security clearance, but I can check." pic.twitter.com/86LzC55ocD
β CSPAN (@cspan) February 3, 2025
The government has historically used the "special government employee" classification for temporary workers who have particular expertise but don't intend to be employed permanently.
Special government employees aren't subject to the ethics and conflict-of-interest rules that government employees typically encounter. Musk's companies, particularly Tesla and SpaceX, have benefited significantly from government contracts.
Federal law says special government employees cannot serve for more than 130 days in a 365-day period, but it's not clear what would happen if Musk worked longer than that.
The Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA) and the Department of Commerce suggest in online guidance that there are few consequences, with the FLRA saying that an employee's special government employee status is based on the agency's "good faith estimate" of how long the employee will work and Commerce ethics guidance saying that whoever appoints a special government employee who works more than 130 days "should reevaluate" the employee's status at the start of the next year.
Musk's "Department of Government Efficiency" is also part of the federal government β President Donald Trump signed an executive order on his first day in office renaming the United States Digital Service as the United States DOGE Service.
In recent days, Musk and his DOGE team have taken aim at the US Agency for International Development, with Musk calling for the agency to be shuttered.
On Monday, USAID employees were told that the building would be closed and staffers would be required to work from home, spurring outcry from Democratic lawmakers.
