Because of special government employee allowances, specialized experts such as doctors, scientists, and business leaders have contributed to national policy.
Some noteworthy figures in the Trump administration fall under the category of special government employees. The most high-profile one is Elon Musk.
The status of special government employee allows individuals to work for both the federal government and the private sector simultaneously. Those working as special government employees are limited to working up to 130 days per year unless the administration expressly extends that limit.
Congress first passed legislation in the early 1960s to allow the executive branch to bring in outside experts without forcing them out of their private sector or academic positions. This has allowed experts in various sectors to serve on advisory boards or in specialized roles at the president’s request without giving up their careers, like regular government employees.
This allowance, signed into law by President John F. Kennedy in 1962, gives permission for the government to temporarily employ experts without aggressive conflict of interest restrictions.
Because of special government employee allowances, specialized experts such as doctors, scientists, and business leaders have contributed to national policy. These temporary roles are subject to most of the rules and regulations that apply to regular full-time employees.
Special government employees are prohibited from dealing with subjects that would create a financial conflict of interest for themselves and they aren’t allowed to use their role to influence an election or engage in political activity while they’re on duty.
Some examples of frequently held special government employee positions are members of federal advisory committees, consultants at the Department of Justice, and scientific and medical experts for federal health agencies.
While the government doesn’t offer exact figures for special government employees, in 2016, the Government Accountability Office released findings that indicated that from 2005 to 2014, an average of about 2,000 special government employees worked for the government each year, excluding those serving on federal boards.
High Profile Special Government Employees
The designation of Musk as a special government employee has raised questions about his actual position and authority.
Officially, Musk serves as a senior adviser to the president, a position similar to that of former President Joe Biden’s special government employee adviser, Anita Dunn.
President Donald Trump has said that Musk oversees the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a the new advisory panel designed to root out waste, fraud, and abuse in the federal government.
