Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) said Monday she will keep pressing the National Labor Relations Board for answers after it dropped charges against Elon Musk’s SpaceX over the firing of engineers who had criticized Musk, framing the move as a possible example of political favoritism toward a powerful federal contractor and Trump ally.<\/p>\n
Warren Questions Why The Case Vanished<\/p>\n
In a post on X, the Massachusetts Democrat wrote, “In 2022, SpaceX was charged with illegally firing workers who spoke out against Elon Musk. Then, Elon Musk helped elect Donald Trump, and Trump\u2019s labor board dropped the charges. Was this a political favor? I\u2019m pressing for answers.”<\/p>\n
Warren linked to a CNBC report<\/a> published Thursday saying she and Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) opened an investigation last week into the NLRB’s February decision to abandon the case.<\/p>\n Under the Biden administration, the labor board had accused SpaceX of illegally firing engineers who circulated an open letter criticizing Musk and alleging sexist conduct and a wider culture of harassment. In February, however, the board dismissed the case on jurisdictional grounds after concluding SpaceX belongs under the Railway Labor Act and the National Mediation Board rather than the NLRB.<\/p>\n Senators Target Jurisdiction Switch And Contacts<\/p>\n In an April 15 letter released by Warren’s office, the senators demanded records by April 29 showing why the NLRB changed course, what communications it had with Musk or his representatives, and what precedent exists for treating a rocket company as an air mail carrier.<\/p>\n They argued the transfer effectively doomed the workers’ claims because the National Mediation Board does not protect the same kinds of concerted workplace activity, and they called it “absurd” to classify SpaceX as a carrier by air partly because it has delivered mail to the International Space Station for NASA.<\/p>\n Probe Lands As SpaceX Profile Grows<\/p>\n Musk, who spent nearly $300 million backing Trump and other Republicans in the 2024 cycle, has also served as a Trump adviser, deepening Democratic concerns about conflicts of interest and influence over agencies that regulate his companies.<\/p>\n Photo Courtesy: Bryan J. Scrafford on Shutterstock.com<\/p>\n