Examine DOGE Quid Pro Quo: Contracts for Musk in Exchange for Gutting Agencies

As your constituent, now that Department of Government Efficiency has been officially terminated (as of July 4, 2026), I urge you to do what Congress has been unwilling to do to date - launch a formal investigation into the harms done by DOGE and implement legislative safeguards against similar abuses. Elon Musk's tenure leading DOGE caused catastrophic harm. Thousands of federal employees lost their careers without due process. Critical agencies protecting public health—disease prevention and environmental management—were gutted and will have lasting consequences for American safety and quality of life. The international impact, however, is both quantifiable and deadly. DOGE orchestrated the USAID shutdown and PEPFAR funding freeze, directly causing over 750,000 deaths to date. The cessation of HIV treatment programs across sub-Saharan Africa forced clinic closures, leaving 222,000 people without daily antiretroviral medication. PEPFAR's discontinuation alone is estimated to cause 176,226 deaths in the first year. USAID cuts have generated nearly one million new malaria cases globally, with projections indicating over 14 million preventable deaths by 2030 if cuts continue. An unbelievably corrupt deal was struck - in return of creating and implementing this deadly program, Musk received unprecedented power as a 'special government employee'. During his tenure, for example, Musk held decision-making authority over policies affecting Starlink's integration into the nation's air traffic control system—positioning his companies to profit substantially from his own regulatory decisions. Starlink's government usage expanded dramatically under DOGE. For example DOGE redirecting a Biden-era broadband contract from Cajun Broadband (serving 450,000 Louisiana households) toward satellite companies, primarily Starlink. It total, all seven of Musk's companies have collectively received $20 billion in government contracts and subsidies. During DOGE, SpaceX received an additional $7.5 million supplemental NASA contract in February 2025, and Tesla finalized a $767 million deal fully financed with federal funds. In addition, Musk weaponized DOGE to eliminate oversight agencies that had investigated his businesses: NHTSA (Tesla regulator) was cut 10%, the FDA office overseeing neurological medicine was cut (benefiting his startup Neuralink), and DOGE targeted nearly a dozen agencies that previously investigated or regulated Musk's companies. Most alarming, DOGE gained access to nonpublic federal data worth potentially $43.4 billion, positioning Musk's companies to gain competitive intelligence unavailable to competitors. This occurred through a loophole allowing Musk to operate as a "special government employee" designed to evade ethics rules. He filed no ethics forms, and Trump stated Musk would "identify his own conflicts." Congress must act decisively. I urge you to: Introduce legislation requiring immediate reinstatement of USAID and PEPFAR funding with dedicated appropriations Establish strict conflict-of-interest protocols prohibiting officials with substantial business interests from directing related policy. Where these protocols already exist, and were violated, criminal and civil penalties must be applied. Demand a full Government Accountability Office audit of DOGE's decisions and cost-benefit analyses DOGE's actions, executed knowingly and without regard for human cost, represent an abdication of Congress's oversight responsibility. I urge you to take steps to remedy the harm. Now is the time for action, not words.