Congressional Democrats want unelected government hatchet man and ketamine enthusiast Elon Musk to be regularly and randomly drug-tested.
In a statement announcing the bill, New Jersey Democrat Mikie Sherrill said that the longshot legislation would require Musk and his staffers at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to pass a drug test to retain their status as special government employees.
Along with Musk’s attested and problematic drug use — which has already led to him being mandatorily drug tested by the government in the past — one of the multi-hyphenate’s top staffers, Alexandra Beynon, used to be head of engineering at Mindbloom, a telehealth service her husband cofounded that prescribes people therapeutic ketamine.
Generally speaking, special government employee status has typically been granted to guest experts and consultants brought on to advise permanent executive branch officials. Under the rules that govern them, special government employees are not allowed access to the White House for more than 130 days per calendar year — and eventually, Musk and his cronies will run out of time on their temporary passes.
The congresswoman added that her bill was inspired, in part, by “Signalgate”: the scandal that erupted in the wake of a journalist being accidentally added by a national security advisor to an unsecured Signal group text that discussed Yemen bombing plans.
“Those with access to sensitive information must be thoroughly vetted, clear-eyed, and exercise good judgment,” Sherill declared.
Notably, this bill was announced right before Politico‘s bombshell reporting that Trump has been telling his inner circle that Musk is on his way out of government.
Musk and the White House have both claimed Politico‘s reporting, which was later corroborated by NBC, is misleading. Still, this is far from the first time the billionaire’s substance use has become an issue — first with the Securities and Exchange Commission, then again with NASA, and now with DOGE.
Ironically enough, it’s unclear whether ketamine, the powerful sedative that appears to be Musk’s drug of choice, is even on federal substance screening panels. Unless he’s snorting the other white powder on taxpayer time, it’s possible that the bill — which is unlikely to pass because the GOP controls both houses of Congress — wouldn’t even have the intended results.
More on Musk and drugs: Video Shows Elon Musk Acting Very Strange at Trump Dinner
