DOGE Targets Wealthy Congress Members

Musk Questions How Lawmakers Amassed Their Wealth

During a Sunday, March 30, town hall event in Wisconsin, Elon Musk raised concerns about how members of Congress managed to build significant personal wealth despite relatively modest salaries, the New York Post reported. 
Musk, speaking in his role leading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), suggested his team will investigate the financial activities of some federal lawmakers. 
"They'll [the government] send the money overseas to one NGO [non-governmental organization], then they'll go through a bunch of them, and then I'm highly confident that a bunch of that money then comes back to the United States and lands in the pockets of the people you just mentioned," Musk said in response to a question about USAID funds and California Democrats Rep. Maxine Waters and Sen. Adam Schiff, as well as Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.
Here's what happened. 
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'Strangely Wealthy' Congress Under Scrutiny

Elon Musk expressed frustration with the fact that numerous lawmakers have become wealthy despite earning standard congressional salaries. 
"But it is a circuitous route. It doesn't go directly, but let's just say that there's a lot of strangely wealthy members of Congress where I'm trying to connect the dots of, 'How do they become rich?'" the Tesla CEO told the crowd. 
Musk pointed out that the typical annual salary for a rank-and-file member of Congress is $174,000. He previously opposed, then later supported, a proposed congressional pay raise — arguing that higher salaries could help reduce corruption.

Examples of Congressional Wealth

Many current and former lawmakers are multimillionaires. Among them is former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), who reportedly has a net worth of around $250 million. Her wealth is largely linked to stock investments made with her husband Paul Pelosi in major tech companies like Apple, Amazon and Microsoft. 
On the other side of the aisle, Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) is estimated to be worth approximately $552 million, largely thanks to his business ventures before entering politics — including co-founding HCA Healthcare and creating the Solantic urgent care chain. 
Elon Musk emphasized the apparent disconnect: "How do they get $20 million if they're earning $200,000 a year? We're going to try to figure it out and certainly stop it from happening."

Musk Rallies Support in Wisconsin Court Race

Elon Musk visited Wisconsin not only to speak about political ethics but also to support conservative judge Brad Schimel in the state's high-profile Supreme Court race. 
The SpaceX CEO handed out $1 million checks to two local voters in an effort to draw attention to what he calls judicial activism. He also promoted his petition effort to challenge "activist judges." 
Explaining his controversial giveaway, Musk stated, "I should say that the reason for the checks is that it's really just to get attention," before then pivoting, "And somewhat inevitably, when I do these things, it causes the legacy media to kind of lose their minds."

A High-Stakes Election with National Implications

The Wisconsin Supreme Court contest between Brad Schimel and liberal Dane County Judge Susan Crawford carries major implications for state law and policy. Issues such as abortion rights, redistricting and the power struggle between Democratic Governor Tony Evers and the Republican-led legislature could hinge on the court's ideological makeup. 
The race has drawn national attention, with Elon Musk's involvement further amplifying the stakes and the spotlight on the broader political and judicial landscape.