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Musk Connections: Former engineer at Tesla, Director of Electrical and Software Engineering at the Boring Company
Other Corporate Affiliations: Driver assist technology startup Comma.ai
DOGE Deployment: Office of Personnel Management

This week, the Trump administration is moving fast to dismantle the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), abandoning several active enforcement cases against financiers ripping off consumers. The SEC paused its case against Trump ally Justin Sun and handed the crypto industry another victory. Elon Musk continues to have field day after field day, slashing agencies he doesn’t like and watching his businesses balloon in value since the election. Several Trump appointees (like CFTC Chair Nominee Brian Quintenz and acting administrator of the PHMSA Ben Kochman) have major conflicts of interests which will likely skew agency action towards the interests of corporations at the expense of the public. We also witnessed an instance of blatant bias in how legal actions are handled, with leniency toward Republicans.

Musk Connections: 21 years at SpaceX, currently Vice President of Human Resources. Previously occupied a number of management positions. Described as a “Musk insider,” Bjelde was one of the first employees at SpaceX. 

Other Corporate Connections: Bjelde is an investor in a self-piloting drone company called Rain.

Corporate Connections: Intern at Meta, intern at Palantir, engineering intern at Bridgewater Associates Hedge Fund

DOGE Deployments: OPM, GSA, Education

Musk Connections: Former employee at xAI
Other Corporate Affiliations: Former employee at Uber
DOGE Deployments: Office of Personnel Management (OPM)

Musk Connections: Unknown
Other Corporate Affiliations: COO Kukun; Director of Worldwide Marketing at Pepsi Cola International; Head of OEM Marketing at Microsoft
DOGE Deployments: Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)

Hearings, investigations, letters, and longshots: Four ways the Democrats can conduct Congressional Oversight as the minority party.

FHFA Nominee & Extremely Online Scion Of A Real Estate Empire

Anti-Safeguard, Pro-Secret Money in Politics SEC Nominee

Oil Man Tapped for “Energy Czar”

IRS Commissioner Nominee Billy Long: Tax the Poor to Pay the Rich

The Senate confirmations process continues apace with Linda McMahon’s floor vote expected in the near future. McMahon is likely to be confirmed as Secretary of Education—this would be her second executive branch assignment following her spell as Administrator of the Small Business Administration during Trump’s first term. Despite the reputation as a middle of the road pick for a Party that now unabashedly champions neo-Nazis, McMahon still holds numerous worrisome education policy positions. 

There’s mounting evidence that Donald Trump’s Treasury secretary is not telling the truth about DOGE’s infiltration of the federal payments system.

“Abundance agenda” apostle Matt Yglesias’ affinity for Interior Secretary Doug Burgum’s deregulatory plans makes clear that this agenda is, at its heart, a neoliberal-approved version of Trumpian plunder.