Democrats are pressuring President Donald Trump to formalize the resignation of Elon Musk, the chief executive officer (CEO) of Tesla, who is leading a sweeping government restructuring under the Trump administration.
On the 9th (local time), according to the U.S. online media Axios, 77 Democratic federal lawmakers demanded in a letter sent to President Trump that Musk cannot exceed the federal law limit on annual workdays (130 days) as a "special public official" and asked him to clarify his resignation plans by the 30th of next month.
In the letter, the lawmakers stated, "Musk must officially confirm that he will resign by the legal deadline of May 30 and relinquish all decision-making authority." They added, "Musk should not take on any government position again for a year unless he has divested from related corporations such as Tesla or SpaceX."
Currently, Musk holds the status of a special public official for the federal government, allowing him to work only 130 days a year, but the ethical and conflict of interest regulations are applied less stringently compared to regular public officials.
Despite expectations that Musk will step down after the end of May due to these regulations, President Trump and the White House have not clarified their stance on the timing of Musk's resignation.
Earlier, Politico reported that President Trump told associates, "Musk will soon step down from his government position," but the White House strongly denied this, calling it "a garbage article." President Trump later told reporters, "Eventually, the time will come for him to leave."
He noted, "Musk can work for the government as long as he wants," but added, "He may also move to a different position because there are many companies he needs to manage."
Democrats are pressing the White House to clarify the timing of Musk's resignation, arguing that the significant government staffing cuts led by Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) may be unconstitutional. Congressman Greg Casar (Texas), who led the letter, stated, "This letter is just the beginning" and noted, "The public pressure for Musk to resign by May 30 will only intensify."
Controversies regarding conflicts of interest surrounding Musk continue. Democrats and some civic groups are raising issues about Musk's Starlink satellite internet service, owned by SpaceX, which recently secured large contracts with U.S. government agencies. Concerns about conflicts of interest have also been raised, given that the agencies involved in the staffing cuts by Musk's DOGE have direct regulatory relationships with Musk's corporations such as Tesla and Neuralink.
On this day, the British daily Guardian reported that Democratic Senator Jin Shaheen (New Hampshire) introduced a bill to prohibit special public officials from having conflicts of interest, which could be dubbed the "Musk sniper bill." This bill includes provisions that forbid special public officials from holding equity in corporations of more than 5% that contract with or receive subsidies from the U.S. government.
However, the Guardian reported that the chances of the bill passing in the Senate, which is predominantly Republican, are low.