Washington, DC — The involvement of Elon Musk and Trump administration officials in restructuring and downsizing within the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) presents a direct and dangerous conflict of interest, according to Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER). PEER is calling on NOAA to immediately release all NOAA communications with Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, and key players in the Department of Commerce and NOAA that have or have had commercial interests in companies that would benefit from the privatization of NOAA functions.

Of particular concern is the infiltration by Musk’s team of NOAA’s Office of Space Commerce (OSC), the National Weather Service (NWS), and the National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Services (NESDIS), and the Trump team’s role in facilitating that infiltration. In his role at DOGE, Musk and his team have unfettered access to sensitive NOAA databases that can substantially benefit Space X, Starlink, and other Musk enterprises.

Musk is working to drastically cut the federal workforce and privatize key government services. Musk’s role in designing the privatization of government space-related agencies could give him an insurmountable advantage over any commercial competitors.

“It is unprecedented to give one corporate interest exclusive inside access to government offices of direct benefit to it,” stated PEER Executive Director Tim Whitehouse, noting that Trump has removed the head of the federal Office of Government Ethics, which has the ability to redress conflicts of interest. “The Musk-Trump assault on NOAA is driven by greed and corruption. The danger is that Musk’s enterprises could morph into government-sponsored monopolies that would operate with no fear of anti-trust prosecution.”

PEER is asking NOAA to release all communications with DOGE on an expedited basis under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Musk’s business interests include industries such as aerospace, telecommunications, and artificial intelligence, which are adjacent to NOAA’s work. Moreover, DOGE has now infiltrated NOAA data systems supporting weather forecasting, flood projections, wildfires, and hurricane tracking.

“Transparency is the only defense the American public has against this type of blatant attempt by a private entity to take over a government agency,” stated Elizabeth Lewis, Senior Associate Attorney at the public interest law firm Eubanks & Associates, PLLC, a law firm representing PEER in the FOIA. “In light of the lifesaving services the agency provides every single day, the American people need to know what is happening at NOAA.”

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See PEER FOIA to Office of Space Commerce and Supporting Affidavit

See PEER FOIA to the National Weather Service and Supporting Affidavit

See PEER FOIA to the National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Services and Supporting Affidavit