‘You’re Out of Order!’ House Hearing Chaos After Dems Try Subpoenaing Elon Musk

A hearing held by the House Oversight Committee on Wednesday quickly spiraled into disorder as Democratic lawmakers were blocked from issuing a subpoena to billionaire Elon Musk.

Following Musk’s collaboration with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to implement federal budget cuts and reduce executive branch personnel, Democrats reacted with alarm.

Representative Gerry Connolly (D-VA) sought to compel Musk’s testimony before the committee, alleging that he was working to “dismantle federal agencies, fire people, transfer them, offer them early retirement, and have sweeping changes to agencies without any congressional review.”

Oversight Chair James Comer (R-KY) promptly shut down the motion, angering Democratic members, including Representative Melanie Stansbury (D-NM).

A brief exchange from the hearing is documented below:

STANSBURY: Mr. Chairman. I think it’s outrageous that this committee will not even entertain a motion to subpoena—

COMER: State your point of order! That’s not a point of order!

STANSBURY: —Somebody who is breaking the law and dismantling our federal agencies and firing federal employees…

COMER: Out of order!

STANSBURY: And you will not even entertain a motion to bring him in front of the Oversight Committee?!

COMER: …Miss Stansbury, you are out of order! You know you’re out of order! You know the rules of this committee.

STANSBURY: Mr. Elon Musk is out of order!

WATCH:

During a press briefing on Monday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt fielded questions regarding whether Elon Musk had obtained security clearance or undergone a background check.

“Can you confirm that Elon Musk is a special government employee?” inquired Kaitlan Collins, CNN’s chief White House correspondent. “And what kind of security clearance does he have?”

Leavitt responded, “I can confirm he’s a special government employee. I can also confirm that he has abided by all applicable federal laws. As for his security clearance, I’m not sure, but I can check back with you.”

Collins followed up, “Did he pass a background check, do you know?” To which Leavitt replied, “I don’t know about the security clearance, but I can check.”

When pressed further on whether anyone in Musk’s team had received security clearance, Leavitt reiterated, “I don’t, no, but again, I can check on that for you.”

On Monday, CNN reported that Musk’s classification as a special government employee signifies that he “is not a volunteer but also not a full-time federal employee.” The network also cited an anonymous source claiming Musk had been granted “a top-secret security clearance.”

Attorney and CNN guest Arthur Aidala previously argued that Musk should not require a background check for government work, given that he had “gotten us into space” and “gotten us to the moon.”

In January, Musk committed to bringing home two astronauts who had been stranded in space for nearly eight months “as soon as possible,” criticizing the Biden administration for its inaction.

Musk, who heads SpaceX and the Department of Government Efficiency, disclosed in a social media post that former President Donald Trump personally sought his assistance in retrieving astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams. The two had been in space since June of last year on a mission originally planned to last only a week.

Although plans to use a SpaceX capsule for their return had been established under the Biden administration, repeated delays hindered the mission, according to the New York Post.

Wilmore and Williams had initially traveled to the International Space Station aboard Boeing’s Starliner, marking the aerospace company’s first foray into spaceflight. However, the capsule suffered from technical issues, including helium leaks and thruster malfunctions. Consequently, NASA determined that it was unsafe for human transport and ordered its return to Earth last year.

“The @POTUS has asked @SpaceX to bring home the 2 astronauts stranded on the @SpaceStation as soon as possible. We will do so,” Musk announced on X, his social media platform, Tuesday evening. “Terrible that the Biden administration left them there so long.”

NASA had initially scheduled the astronauts’ return via a SpaceX capsule in February. However, further delays pushed the mission back to March or early April.

While the designated SpaceX capsule is already in orbit, Musk’s company postponed the launch of a replacement crew, as their arrival is necessary before Wilmore and Williams can depart, The Post reported.

Typically, NASA prefers an overlap between arriving and departing crews for a seamless transition. SpaceX has delayed the launch of its capsule to allow for additional work on the spacecraft.

Originally, both Musk and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy were appointed to oversee DOGE, but Ramaswamy later withdrew to pursue a gubernatorial bid in Ohio.

Both individuals were outspoken during Trump’s campaign about the necessity of curbing the size and influence of the federal government.