Democrats seek to probe Musk conflicts and DOGE firings with resolutions of inquiry in the House
WASHINGTON — Democrats on the House Oversight Committee are introducing a pair of resolutions demanding the Trump administration turn over documents and information about billionaire adviser Elon Musk's potential conflicts of interest and the firings of federal workers, The Associated Press has learned.
It's the most aggressive move yet by Democrats trying to confront President Donald Trump's actions. The top Democrat on the panel, Rep. Gerald Connolly of Virginia, and Rep. Rep. Kweisi Mfume of Maryland are leading the effort as the party mounts a resistance against the Trump-Musk dismantling of government.
The resolutions of inquiry would launch investigations into Trump's Republican administration and Musk through the Oversight panel. If the Republican-led committee fails to act, which is likely, the Democrats could push the resolutions to a House floor vote in a matter of weeks.
“President Trump, Elon Musk, and the DOGE team have been on a rampage to purge the government of non-partisan public servants and install political loyalists willing to turn a blind eye to corruption and grift,” said a fact-sheet accompanying the resolution from Mfume, the ranking Democrat on the panel's subcommittee on Government Operations, probing the firing of federal workers.
“Despite repeated efforts by Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Democrats, the Administration has failed to provide any information about its plans or actions related to this purge.”
The resolution from Connolly would launch an investigation into Musk himself over potential conflicts of interest.
The action comes as Democrats are deepening their opposition to the Trump administration's actions, particularly those of Musk's Department of Government Efficiency, which is blazing through the federal government, slashing jobs and programs in search of waste, fraud and abuse.
As the minority party in the House, Democrats are limited in their ability to muscle any actions through committees or in votes on the House floor. Republicans on the Oversight Committee blocked the Democrats' effort to issue a subpoena to Musk to testify before the panel in one of its first meetings.
But the resolution of inquiry provides a tool that Democrats can use to try and force the issue.
The resolution seeking information about the firing of federal workers would require the administration to provide documents, meeting notes, phone, mail and text records, and other information regarding:
“Each Federal employee placed on administrative leave, removed due to a reduction in force action, terminated, transferred, or reassigned to another department on orders, advice, or recommendation of Elon Musk, any individual considered to be a member of a DOGE agency team, or any official or unofficial member of the United States DOGE Service.”
It would also require documents, communications and information about the Office of Personnel Management’s decisions around the firings determination of diversity, equity and inclusion employees or those in offices working to improve DEI. And it seeks information regarding the firings of the inspectors general “including whether to notify Congress as legally required.”
The resolution of inquiry on Musk himself would seek to probe the billionaire's web of businesses ventures and government contracts for any conflicts of interest.
It would require the president to provide information, documents, and communications to Congress related to Musk's “role, official or nonofficial, with the Federal Government; any realized or perceived conflict of interest Elon Musk may have related to his role” with DOGE “or any other government or pseudo-government entity.”
It further seeks information on any potential conflicts of interest regarding Musk-owned companies, contracts or ventures or those on which he serves on the board of directors.
Under the House procedures, the Oversight committee has 14 days to act on the resolution of inquiry. If the panel fails to act, the resolutions become privileged, which means they can be expedited for floor consideration.
It is unlikely that Republicans would approve the resolutions in a floor vote, but Democrats would want to test that in the House, which is narrowly split between the parties. As a House resolution, passage would launch the probe, without needing to go to the Senate for action.
