WASHINGTON, May 6 (Reuters) - Democratic lawmakers on

key House committees raised concerns about potential conflicts

of interest from Elon Musk's dual roles as SpaceX CEO and a

Special Government Employee overseeing changes at NASA and the

Department of Defense, a letter sent to the agencies on Tuesday

said.

The letter addressed to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth

and NASA Acting Administrator Janet Petro expressed alarm by

House Democrats over Musk's potential conflicts, given his role

spearheading the Trump administration's massive federal overhaul

through the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE.

"Mr. Musk's dual role creates an inherent conflict of

interest between SpaceX's status as a large government

contractor and DOGE's influence at agencies overseeing SpaceX

contracts, contract bids, and regulations governing the company

and its activities," the letter signed by the top Democrats on

the House Armed Services Committee and the committee on Science,

Space and Technology and others said.

DOGE is currently overseeing significant organizational

changes at both the Department of Defense and NASA. These

changes include the dismissal of probationary Defense employees,

the cancellation of hundreds of millions of dollars in grants

and contracts at NASA, and the elimination of entire programs at

both agencies.

Simultaneously, SpaceX continues to serve as a large

contractor for both DoD and NASA, bidding on and winning

additional contracts even after Musk began his work for the

Trump administration.

"Because SpaceX performs significant work for the federal

government across the national security and civil space

architectures, even the perception of a conflict of interest is

very troubling, and Mr. Musk's influence over the agencies

awarding large contracts to his company goes far beyond mere

perception," the letter said.

Musk has been at the helm of SpaceX since its founding in

2002. The company has become a major player in the space

industry, securing numerous contracts with NASA and the

Department of Defense.