Democrats Push to Oust Elon Musk From Government Role Using Federal Statute

House Democrats are calling for Elon Musk to step down from his role as head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) by the end of May, citing federal law.

Rep. Greg Casar of Texas, along with 76 other House Democrats, sent a letter to President Donald Trump demanding Musk’s departure by May 30, arguing his 130-day limit as a special government employee is nearly up.

“In his short time in government, Elon Musk has done enormous harm to working Americans,” Casar wrote. “Musk’s reckless destruction of government agencies has led to everything from seniors having challenges accessing Social Security to veterans losing access to care at VA hospitals.”

He added that Musk “may not legally return to the federal government this year without divesting from his companies, including Tesla and SpaceX,” and concluded, “For the good of the country, Elon Musk should be removed from his position immediately. Under the law, Mr. Musk cannot remain in his position beyond May 30th.”

Casar told Axios the intent is to create “public pressure” and added that Democrats “have legal tools at our disposal.” At a press conference the next day, he declared, “Fifty days from today, Donald Trump must, by law, fire Elon Musk.”

Still, some legal gray area exists. Axios noted that a previous memo from the Office of Government Ethics might exclude unpaid travel days from the 130-day calculation, possibly giving the White House some leeway.

Earlier this month, Bret Baier asked Musk if he would stay beyond the deadline. Musk replied, “I think we will have accomplished most of the work required to reduce the deficit by a trillion dollars within that time frame.”

At a recent cabinet meeting, Musk gave an update: “I’m excited to announce we anticipate savings in FY26 from reduction of waste and fraud by $150 billion.” During the same meeting, Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer said DOGE helped her department identify $400 million in fraudulent unemployment payouts — including to people aged 115 and children as young as 1 to 5 years old.

When asked if Musk would be reappointed once the 130-day period ends, Trump said, “I would. I think Elon’s great, but he also has a company to run, or a number of companies to run.” He added, “We’re in no rush” to remove him, but acknowledged, “there will be a point at which time Elon’s going to have to leave.”

Trump noted that DOGE would remain active after Musk’s exit and that responsibility would shift to individual cabinet secretaries over time.