On April 24, according to CNN, Musk made two very interesting and contradictory statements about his role in the government during Tesla's earnings call. First, Musk hinted that he is about to end his current "temporary" role, and from May onwards, the time he allocates to the Government Efficiency Department (DOGE) will be significantly reduced. However, immediately after, Musk stated that he would not completely withdraw from government affairs and might even stay until the end of Trump's presidential term in 2029. Musk said, "I think I must continue to do this until the presidential term ends, to ensure that the waste and fraud we have stopped do not resurge if it has the chance. I believe I will continue to spend one or two days a week on government affairs, as long as the president wants me to do so, as long as it is useful."
Musk's current role in the government is already on the edge of what Washington law allows. The White House calls him a "special government employee," but according to Max Stier, CEO of the Public Service Partners organization, granting Musk broad powers to manage DOGE, fire employees, and cut federal agencies was a misapplication of the "Special Government Employee Act" from the beginning. The Trump administration used the hiring of Musk and others to abuse this mechanism to circumvent restrictions that should be followed by formal full-time employees, such as conflict of interest and security reviews.
