Elon Musk was not on Tuesday's ballot, but Democrats' midterm wins in the House and Senate could bring new scrutiny of him. Texas, where Musk's companies are headquartered, was a focus of his spending. Federal filings show he spent more than $200 million in an effort to sway the Texas Senate race toward the Republican candidate.
Federal filings analyzed by OpenSecrets show Musk gave more than $445 million to Republican candidates, political action committees and outside groups. The Democracy Defenders Fund, a legal advocacy nonprofit, said his companies received at least $6.3 billion in government contracts during the four months he led the Department of Government Efficiency, and at least another $10 billion since then. Democratic lawmakers say they want to know whether Musk used his influence to benefit his businesses.
Rep. James Walkinshaw (D-Va.) wrote on X that Musk must answer questions under oath. Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) wrote on X that Musk's links to Russian President Vladimir Putin are among the questions he would ask if he subpoenaed Musk. Rep. Mike Levin (D-Calif.) said Musk restricted Ukraine's use of his Starlink internet service days after Trump eased sanctions on Russia.