A group of Democratic lawmakers in the US House of Representatives has launched a campaign to ensure the resignation of Elon Musk from the Trump administration. As reported by news portal Axios, the initiative is based on a statutory provision that states Musk, as a special employee, may only work up to 130 days per year for the US government. The authors of the initiative, however, fear that the White House may exploit a legal loophole.
According to reports, a total of 77 Democratic lawmakers sent a letter to US President Donald Trump, demanding clarification on Musk’s employment, as per the document, the cabinet should immediately confirm through a public statement that Musk will resign and relinquish all decision-making powers by May 30. Additionally, Musk should not be appointed as a special employee of the government for a year, unless he distances himself from his companies, including Tesla and SpaceX.
Greg Casar, a lawmaker from the US state of Texas and chairman of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, described the initiative as “the first salvo”:
“We are making it very clear that public pressure on Republicans will only increase between today and May 30.”
The Democrats have at their disposal legal and political measures as well as the full force of public pressure, Casar added.
Although several government officials, including President Trump and Musk himself, have repeatedly confirmed Musk’s departure from the cabinet, Democrats warn of potential legal loopholes. The White House could, for example, cite a note made by the ethics office to the US government last year, during Joe Biden’s administration, stating that unpaid travel days should not be counted towards the 130 working days of Musk.
Earlier, US Vice President James David Vance had assured that Musk would remain a “friend and advisor” to the White House even after his resignation from his position at the Office of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Musk had promised to complete the majority of his work at DOGE by the end of May.