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Opinion: If D.O.G.E operates as a government agency, Musk needs to divest his business interests or avoid related matters

ChainCatcher news, according to Fortune, U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has announced the appointment of billionaire Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy to lead the newly established "Department of Government Efficiency" (D.O.G.E). The department's name is a nod to Dogecoin and will work with the White House Office of Management and Budget to promote structural reforms in government.Ann Skeet, Director of Leadership Ethics at Santa Clara University's Markkula Center, pointed out that Musk's business interests are in direct conflict with government interests. Musk's companies have close ties to the government: SpaceX holds over $4 billion in NASA lunar program contracts; Tesla benefits from government tax incentives and is also subject to automotive safety regulations; the social platform X is facing investigations by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC); other businesses like the artificial intelligence company xAI, brain-machine interface company Neuralink, and tunneling company Boring all intersect with federal regulation.Richard Painter, a former White House ethics lawyer during the Bush administration, stated that if DOGE operates as a government agency, Musk would need to divest his business interests or recuse himself from related matters, unless Trump grants a rare exemption. Automotive safety advocates are concerned that efficiency reforms led by Musk could undermine the functions of regulatory agencies like the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

The crypto community calls for the SEC chairman to resign proactively during the congressional hearing to avoid being fired in the future

ChainCatcher news, according to Ibtimes, the U.S. House Financial Services Committee will hold a hearing titled "Oversight of the SEC" on September 24, with SEC Chairman Gary Gensler in attendance to testify. Tomorrow, he will appear alone at a Senate hearing. After the announcement of Gensler's attendance, many users in the crypto community expressed criticism and dissatisfaction.NFT collector Medic Matt stated that attending the congressional hearing would be "a great opportunity for resignation," with some community members calling for Gensler to hand over the SEC chairmanship to someone more capable. Cryptocurrency researcher Anderson predicted that Gensler would "not answer any questions and just waste everyone's time." Anderson noted that during a hearing in 2023, Gensler repeatedly refused to answer lawmakers' questions about whether Ethereum is classified as a security or a commodity.Cryptocurrency YouTuber James Rule asked Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren if she would "write answers" for Gensler. Warren and Gensler have been accused of deliberately destroying the cryptocurrency industry. Cryptocurrency investor and developer Leon Gaban stated that the SEC should be shut down. He urged Gensler: "Resign now, before you get fired by Trump later."Previously, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump stated that if elected in November, he would fire SEC Chairman Gary Gensler on his first day in office. Cryptocurrency analyst Jonathan Morgan reminded Gensler that his "Democratic allies" can no longer "slander" the cryptocurrency industry, as more and more Republican politicians have acknowledged the rapid growth of the industry.
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