Elon Musk, the billionaire owner of Tesla and SpaceX, is facing the prospect of congressional investigations after Democrats made major gains in the US midterm elections.
Democrats are expected to examine Musk’s role in Donald Trump’s administration, his work with the Department of Government Efficiency (Doge), and the government contracts held by his companies.
According to reports, Musk spent more than $445m supporting Republican candidates, political committees and groups aligned with the party. However, several candidates backed by him were defeated, including in Texas.
Musk spent more than $200m backing Republican candidates in Texas, where Democrats made significant gains. Republican Senate candidate Ken Paxton, who received substantial support from Musk, was defeated by Democrat James Talarico.
Democrats have said they will examine whether Musk used his influence within the Trump administration to advance the business interests of his companies.
Potential investigations could focus on government contracts, tax benefits and other forms of federal support received by Musk’s companies.
The investigations are expected to begin after Democrats take control of both chambers of Congress in January.
Musk has been one of President Trump’s most prominent political allies and a major financial supporter of Republican candidates.
