Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA) sounded the alarm on Elon Musk accessing and “upgrading” the FAA’s systems while talking to Capitol Hill reporters on Thursday.

“I’m sending a letter to Secretary Duffy. It’s a clear conflict of interest, and Secretary Duffy should make sure that Mr. Musk is not part of the FAA air transportation system,” Cantwell told reporters.
On Wednesday, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced on X that Musk’s DOGE team “are going to plug in to help upgrade our aviation system.”

Cantwell continued, noting Musk “has been fined for violations. He worked hard to try to get Mr. Whitaker [the former head of the FAA] somebody who was approved 98 to 0, I think, out of the system. And it is a clear conflict of interest.”