Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker say the Department of Government Efficiency should face an investigation, as Democrats debate whether to examine Elon Musk’s role in the initiative.
Raskin said he had no particular investigative plan in mind, but described DOGE as a failure and said he was confident at least one congressional committee would look into its work.
Musk helped launch DOGE early in President Donald Trump’s second term, with the stated aim of reducing government waste and improving transparency around federal spending. The department’s efforts included employee buyouts and deferred resignations. The federal workforce shrank by about 250,000 people during 2025, according to the Government Accountability Office.
Some Democrats have also raised concerns that DOGE had access to Americans’ sensitive personal information. Raskin argued that the initiative was built on false premises and put private information at risk.
Pritzker said he had not heard about a specific proposal to investigate Musk, but agreed that DOGE’s actions deserved scrutiny. He was less certain that an investigation should focus on Musk personally, saying he did not know whether one individual should be the central target.
Other Democrats have called for scrutiny of Musk’s companies and their multibillion-dollar federal contracts. They have also questioned his role in the loss of internet access for Ukraine’s military.
Following strong midterm gains, Democrats in both chambers of Congress have pledged to use committee investigations and subpoenas to examine Musk, Trump and members of the administration. Some have also discussed pursuing Trump’s impeachment.
