Key Takeaways:
Despite spearheading a campaign to slash federal regulations and cut spending, Musk’s efforts are proving politically unpopular.
Musk’s dual role as a business magnate and government official is reigniting debates over where ethical lines should be drawn when private-sector leaders step into public power.
Lawmakers like Senator Elizabeth Warren are pushing for tighter oversight of special government employees.
Over 50% of Americans believe Department of Governmental Efficiency (DOGE) head Elon Musk and tech companies overall have too much influence on U.S. government, according to a new poll this week from UMass Amherst.
New Poll Finds Majority Believe Musk Influences Federal Government Too Much
Conducted from April 4 through to April 9, the poll found that over half of the U.S. believes Musk, tech companies, and Wall Street at large wield too much influence over the federal government under U.S. President Donald Trump.
Meanwhile, 59% of surveyed participants said that they had little to no trust that Musk would not use his position of power to benefit his own business interests.
“Only three months into his tenure at DOGE, questions concerning Musk’s conflict of interests, his legal authority to cut federal programs, and the actual budgetary savings that DOGE has elicited continue to swirl,” says the poll’s director, Professor Tatishe Nteta.
“Given the unpopularity of Musk’s efforts to rein in federal spending, it is no surprise that many expect Musk to return to his businesses and to put Washington, D.C., in his rearview mirror,” he added.
Democratic U.S. Lawmakers Push Back
Musk, who has been a proponent of cryptocurrencies like Dogecoin in the past, has faced widespread backlash for his new position in Trump’s administration.
The SpaceX founder has largely spearheaded a campaign directed at cutting government regulations in a bid to curb America’s excess spending, though critics argue his role goes too far.
Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), who recently urged the Department of Justice to reverse its decision to disband its crypto enforcement, co-sponsored a bill on Monday that would order ethics checks on special government employees like Musk.
Trump, meanwhile, has also faced criticism for his business affiliations while in the Oval Office, with Fortune reporting Tuesday that he will launch his own crypto-infused, Monopoly style real estate game.
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