Elon Musk's Team Installs Starlink Satellite Equipment At Key Federal Agency: Report

Tesla Inc. TSLA CEO Elon Musk‘s influence in President Donald Trump‘s Department of Government Efficiency has taken physical form at the General Services Administration, where staffers recently discovered unauthorized Starlink satellite transceivers connected to the administrator’s office.

What Happened: The equipment highlights Musk’s growing footprint at the obscure yet powerful federal agency that oversees government contracts and real estate worth billions of dollars, reported the Associated Press.

Several Musk associates now hold key positions at GSA, including acting administrator Stephen Ehikian, whose wife previously worked at Musk’s X Corp. Tesla engineer Thomas Shedd runs the agency’s technology division, while Nicole Hollander, another Musk lieutenant, leads efforts to sell federal properties.

“GSA was built for this moment,” Ehikian told employees in a recorded meeting viewed by AP. “We literally have an impact on the administration’s mandate right now, which is around efficiency.”

SpaceX did not immediately respond to Benzinga's request for comment.

Why It Matters: The agency has already canceled over 680 leases, listed 32 properties worth $185 million, and cut contracts valued at $50 billion, according to internal presentations, cited by AP.

GSA employees reported concerns about the unauthorized Starlink equipment to superiors and the agency’s inspector general, fearing potential security violations. A GSA spokesman confirmed the transceivers’ presence but insisted they weren’t connected to GSA’s network.

Critics, including GWU law professor Steven Schooner, note GSA’s critical position as “a choke point for all agencies” that can “stop all civilian agencies from purchasing, period.”

The agency has already dismantled its internal consulting team that had been working to improve government services, including online tax filing and passport renewal systems.

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