Elon Musk, the chair of the Trump administration’s newly established Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), has signaled support for a proposal that would mandate immediate and widespread drug testing for federal employees. The endorsement comes as Musk pushes for deep cuts to government spending and agency staffing.
In an X post on Saturday, Joshua Steinman, a former National Security Council (NSC) official under former President Donald Trump, suggested that the federal workforce should undergo mandatory drug screening. Tagging DOGE in his post, Steinman inquired whether the department had “considered a federal workforce-wide, mandatory, immediate drug test.”
Musk’s succinct response—“Great idea”—has sparked discussion about the potential implications of such a policy, particularly as it relates to the tech mogul’s own history with controlled substances.
Currently, certain federal employees and contractors must undergo pre-employment drug testing, while random screenings are generally reserved for those in sensitive security or safety-related roles. However, an expansion of testing requirements could be leveraged as a tool for workforce reductions, identifying employees who could be dismissed for cause.
Musk’s apparent enthusiasm for stricter drug testing has drawn scrutiny, given his own past controversies. In 2018, he faced federal scrutiny after smoking marijuana during an appearance on Joe Rogan’s podcast while leading the government-contracted aerospace company SpaceX. (Musk later claimed he did not actually inhale.) Additionally, he has openly discussed using ketamine and previously voiced support for psychedelic substances, suggesting that laws surrounding their use should be reexamined.
The conversation around federal drug policy is evolving. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) recently urged Musk and DOGE to focus on reducing “unnecessary” federal enforcement against marijuana users as a cost-cutting measure. Meanwhile, former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, Trump’s nominee for Director of National Intelligence (DNI), has stated that prior marijuana use should not disqualify someone from receiving a security clearance, though ongoing use remains a more complex issue.
Complicating matters further, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is considering reclassifying marijuana from a Schedule I to a Schedule III drug. Some legal experts argue that such a move could lift federal employment restrictions on cannabis use, potentially undermining any push for stricter drug testing policies.
As the Trump administration and DOGE advance efforts to shrink the federal workforce, it remains to be seen whether Musk’s endorsement will translate into policy—or if it is simply another provocative statement from the billionaire executive.
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