Forty-two members of Congress are demanding answers about Elon Musk’s possible role in a massive new military contract under Donald Trump’s proposed “Golden Dome” defense project.
In a letter to the Pentagon’s Inspector General, Senators Elizabeth Warren, Cory Booker, and Tammy Duckworth raised red flags about a potential conflict of interest involving Musk and his company, SpaceX.
“Mr Musk’s formal or informal participation in any process to award a government contract raises serious conflict of interest concerns, including the possibility that SpaceX is a top contender for the lucrative Golden Dome contract because of Mr Musk’s position in the government,” they wrote.
The project, announced Tuesday by Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, aims to build a high-tech anti-missile shield modeled after Israel’s Iron Dome. Trump told reporters it would be “fully operational” by the end of his term in January 2029 and able to “intercept rockets, even if they are launched from space.”
Critics are alarmed not just by the scale of the plan but also by who’s reportedly lobbying to help build it.
According to CNN, Musk, who gave $288 million to Republican campaigns last year, has personally pushed Defense Secretary Hegseth to land a role for SpaceX. His company is reportedly competing for the contract to build the “custody layer”—a new satellite network designed to detect and track incoming missiles.
That slice of the project alone could cost between $6 billion and $10 billion, sources told Reuters.
General Chance Saltzman, head of the U.S. Space Force, said the Golden Dome would require “missions that have never before been accomplished by military space organizations.”
The Congressional Budget Office estimates the full project could cost over $500 billion and take two decades. Trump waved off that number, calling it “fake news,” and claiming it will cost $175 billion and take only three years. He wants to start with a $25 billion grant.
SpaceX would be one of many private companies tapped to build the system, which includes not just the satellites but also the interceptors designed to destroy enemy missiles mid-flight.
At this point, the project is still only an idea. No money has been allocated, and even Air Force Secretary Troy Meink admitted it’s “still in the conceptual stage.”
But critics argue it’s not too early to ask tough questions—especially about how contracts are being awarded.
“Transparency in the process is non-negotiable when the stakes are this high,” said Senator Warren.
China and Russia have already slammed the project, calling it “deeply destabilizing” and a move that would turn space into “an arena for armed confrontation.”
The Pentagon says it has no choice. China and Russia are already putting weapons in orbit and developing tools that could take out U.S. satellites. The Golden Dome is being pitched as the only way to stay ahead.
For now, all eyes are on the Pentagon, and whether Musk’s growing influence is shaping national security decisions behind closed doors.
