The agencies that investigated Musk's companies were among DOGE's first targets

Before 2025, Musk's companies faced scrutiny from several federal agencies: the SEC over his Twitter stock disclosures, the National Labor Relations Board in dozens of labor cases, the FAA over SpaceX licensing, and NHTSA over Tesla's driver-assist systems. House Judiciary Democrats counted numerous such investigations in a February 2025 fact sheet.

DOGE gained access to SEC systems, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau was largely shut down, and the NLRB lost staff to buyouts; a whistleblower alleged DOGE's access there led to a data breach. At USAID, which Musk called a criminal organization, about 83 percent of programs were cancelled, according to Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The Economic Policy Institute argued Musk's businesses benefited from the turmoil in his first 100 days.