Musk Team’s interior ⁢Department Reform Sparks Ethics Concerns

Updated May 27, 2025

A⁣ team linked to Elon Musk is spearheading ⁤reforms within the Interior ⁤Department, raising ethical questions about ‍potential conflicts of interest. The team’s broad powers to reshape‍ the department, which manages vast public⁤ lands and resources, have drawn scrutiny due to its members’ past energy investments and lack of commitment to severing ties with related companies.

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum ⁤appointed⁣ Tyler Hassen, ⁢who lacks Senate confirmation and public administration experience, to lead the reorganization.Hassen ⁤now oversees⁤ roughly 70,000 employees across⁣ 11 agencies, including the National Park Service and the ‍bureau of⁢ Land Management.

Prior to joining the department,Hassen was an executive at Basin Holdings for nearly two decades,a company involved in global oil⁤ platform manufacturing and services. Financial disclosures ⁤reveal Hassen earned millions annually from these companies, owned by john Fitzgibbons, a prominent industry figure with connections in ‍Russia.

Democratic legislators, conservation groups, and environmental advocates are ⁤increasingly concerned about these⁢ potential conflicts of interest.⁣ They argue that Hassen’s appointment appears⁢ designed to ⁤circumvent Senate oversight and is testing‍ the limits⁤ of congressional authority.

“Delegating ‍personnel and financing decisions ⁣in the Department ⁣of the Interior to someone who has not even‍ been confirmed by the Senate is negligence,” ⁢said‍ Kate Groetzinger, ⁤from the Center for Western Priorities.

Interior Department spokeswoman Katie Martin stated via email⁣ that Hassen is helping to implement the president’s vision for meaningful changes and that⁢ the department “will continue ‍to prioritize the retention of lifeguards, ⁢parks services and energy production employees.”

Since joining the⁣ department in January, Hassen has ⁢reviewed contracts and subsidies, proposing⁣ measures to Burgum. Burgum praised Hassen ⁢and the team on X, stating they “have already⁣ identified huge amounts of ⁢waste, fraud and abuse!”

A preliminary Interior Strategic Plan includes increasing “the production of clean coal, oil and gas through faster permits” while reducing regulations to “generate more income from land and resources for the United States treasury.”

Hassen also extended Trump-era⁤ freezes‍ twice in the Federal Registry, preventing agencies⁢ from proposing new rules and eliminating public consultation periods, deeming it “contrary to the public interest.” The latest extension runs untill June 4.

In March, Burgum appointed Hassen as assistant secretary of Policy, Management and Budget, later changing his title to “Deputy Principal Secretary” in April. While ⁤an assistant secretary requires Senate approval and an⁣ ethics ⁣commitment,a principal undersecretary does not.

Kathleen Clark, a government ethics expert at Washington University in St. Louis, suggested officials are circumventing protocol “by⁤ calling someone by a different name⁤ so ⁤that they do⁤ not have to present a⁤ really vital document where they explain ⁢how they will comply with ethical standards.”

Hassen reportedly attempted⁣ to dismiss a senior lawyer in⁢ April for refusing⁢ to grant other team members access to a sensitive⁣ personnel database.⁤ He also pushed for significant staff reductions through incentives,‍ early retirements, and ⁤layoffs. Hassen accused tony Irish, the lawyer, of “subverting, obstructing and delaying the process.”

“when ‍trying to dismiss Tony Irish, Tyler Hassen has demonstrated his ⁤own ineptitude for⁢ federal service,” said Tim Whitehouse, executive director of‍ Public ⁢Employees for Environmental Responsibility, in a press release.

Former Interior Department official Jacob Malcom argued‍ that Burgum’s order authorizing hassen to make “appropriate financing decisions” for ⁣administrative changes and ⁣ensure “the proper transfer⁤ of funds,programs,records and properties” is unconstitutional. Malcolm⁣ stated that Congress, ‍not appointed secretaries, allocates funds.

Hassen’s financial disclosure, reviewed multiple times, revealed nearly $4 ⁢million in annual income from Fitzgibbons’ oil⁣ service companies.Hassen stated he sold his stake ⁣in these companies and is receiving payments until June 2026.

The disclosure ⁢also showed holdings in⁢ Fitzgibbons’ Block ⁣Harvest, a cryptocurrency mining business, and Global Guardian, a security company. Additionally,Hassen⁢ reported shares⁢ in companies involved in natural gas compression,electricity,and lithium mining,including⁢ Albemarle Corp., which operates the Silver Peak Lithium Mine in Nevada.

Josh Axelrod, a policy advocate for the Natural Resources Defense Council, said ⁢Hassen is trying⁤ to eliminate regulations that limit fossil fuel industries. ‍”As a member⁣ of those industries, he is especially qualified to point out ⁢those who‍ do not like,” Axelrod said.

Sen. Jeff Merkley of Oregon and Rep. chellie Pingree of Maine, ranking Democrats on Senate and House subcommittees⁣ overseeing the Interior Department, have called for⁢ a halt to Hassen’s⁤ reorganization.

Sen. martin Heinrich of New Mexico, in a May 7 letter to Burgum, stated that “delegating ample authorities and responsibilities in a person not confirmed by the Senate in violation of the Vacant Reform Law⁢ is incomprehensible and extremely worrying.”

What’s next

The ⁢Interior Department’s reforms under ⁣Hassen’s leadership will⁢ likely face continued scrutiny from ‍lawmakers and‍ environmental groups, notably regarding potential conflicts of interest and the bypassing of Senate confirmation processes. The outcome of these challenges ‍could substantially impact the future of energy policy and resource management on public lands.