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This article is published in conjunction with the Texas Newsroom and the Texas Tribune, part of an initiative to report on how Texas power works.
Elon Musk’s team of Texas lobbyists at the 2025 legislative session is not comparable to the huge energy and telecom companies that typically employ dozens of people to represent them. But Musk and his company still hire more lobbyists this year than anyone else, according to the Texas Ethics Commission.
Musk, the billionaire businessman behind automaker Tesla and aerospace company SpaceX, has influenced several Texas laws this year. However, how his lobbyists achieved these victories is more of a mystery.
His lobbyists represent Tesla, Space X and social media giant X Corp., who provided tens of thousands of dollars to elected Texas officials and others during the conference, according to analysis of national ethics data. In most cases, Texas’ transparent laws do not require lobbyists to disclose which clients they win and eat or represent.
The Texas News Room contacted all of Musk’s lobbyists with all 12 lobbyists at the session. Only one lobbyist, Carrie Simmons, had calculated Tesla among customers, but she refused to be interviewed. She said that only Musk’s company could comment on the work of the session.
The email sent to Musk and Musk himself did not return it.
The Texas Newsroom was able to find some hints in records obtained from Gov. Dan Patrick and state Sen. Adam Hinojosa. Other documents detailing its deeper connections are disclosed by state laws.
Ethics experts say the responsibility for improving transparency lies with Texas lawmakers. Former lobbyist Andrew Cates said state law provides the public with “basic transparency” of “who lobbyists are and who they represent.”
“Other than that, the Legislature has not prioritized how to spend money on legislators regularly. But it’s not the Hall’s fault, it’s the Legislature’s fault.”
Tom Forbes, president of the Texas Professional Advocacy Association, statewide lobbyist organization, said that while lobbyists sometimes have bad rap, they play a key role in lawmakers trying to make decisions in complex policies. He told the Texas Newsroom that his team was “agnostic” to make reporting requirements more stringent, but would follow any changes to the state tool.
“Our association will comply with any laws passed by the legislature,” Forbes said.
Who did Musk hire and who did they lobby for?
According to documents submitted to the Ethics Committee, eight of Musk’s lobbyists work at SpaceX. Tesla has four, one of them also works for X.
Musk’s lobbyists include former advisers and staff to Governor Greg Abbott, including Mike Toomey and Reed Clay. Another lobbyist, Will McAdams, once sat on the Texas Public Utilities Commission, which manages the state’s electricity, telecommunications, and water and sewer utilities.
All other clients except one lobbyist have other clients they are working for, which makes it harder to track exactly the spending on Mansk’s agenda. Former legislator Benjamin Lancaster is on SpaceX’s payroll only.
Lobbyists do not need to report their exact salary, only one salary range. Musk promised to pay about $400,000 to nearly $1 million, according to the Ethics Commission, paying his lobbyists a total of work this year. Half of them can work for Musk for more than $110,000.
Each month, lobbyists report their total spending. However, state rules do not require them to disclose who is on the receiving end unless the lobbyist shelled more than $132.60 for a person in one day. This includes food and drink, transportation, accommodation or entertainment. Taxes and tips are not counted. The threshold for disclosure of gifts is $110.
Lobbyists also don’t need to disclose exactly what they are participating in for all lawmakers, such as lunch for the entire Texas House, or hosting off-site happy hours.
In fact, these rules mean that lobbyists can buy steak dinners from the same elected official every night. As long as the daily fee remains below this amount, they don’t need to say who gets the free meal.
Musk’s lobbyists spent more than $46,000 on food and drinks this year for elected officials, their employees, families and guests, according to state ethics records. None of them detailed that elected officials may already be on the receiving end, meaning all their spending remains below the daily threshold.
Jim Clancy, former chairman of the Ethics Committee, said multiple lobbyists often split individual bills to keep them below the reporting threshold.
“They have 15 different credit cards in the deal to make sure that it’s all below the limit,” Clancy told the Texas newsroom. “The Legislature has to change it. If they do, they won’t eat for free.”
According to the Texas Tribune, a series of ethics bills, including some that require transparency for whom the political movement has been funded, failed to become law this year. Meanwhile, lawmakers have approved a new law that would reduce fines for former lawmakers engaged in illegal lobbying.
What do other records show?
Although lobbyists do not need to disclose which bills they discuss in private meetings with officials and their staff, they must pay attention to their position if they choose to testify in a legislation. That’s how the Texas Newsroom determines 13 bills that Musk lobbyists take a public stand.
The Texas Newsroom was able to get some more insight into the impact on lobbyists from records received through public information requests.
Hinojosa, a newly elected South Texas Republican, wrote several bills for the calendar that would benefit SpaceX and other aerospace companies, showing that he or his employees arranged meetings with at least a lobbyist or representative of the Musk Rocket Company within two months. Patrick wrote a letter to the Federal Aviation Administration supporting SpaceX’s ability to increase the number of launches in its South Texas rocket store, the email showed.
The records show that Patrick was also invited to visit Tesla Gigafactory outside Austin, but it is not clear whether he went there.
Neither Hinojosa nor Patrick responded to the interview request.
The Texas Senate refused to release other documents that could clarify Musk’s company’s interaction with elected officials. Senate Secretary Patsy Spaw said in denying his release that communications between state lawmakers and Texas residents were “legally restricted.”
The reason, she said, is to “ensure the rights of national citizens to request their state government without fear of harassment, revenge or public ridicule.”
This may include emails with lobbyists.
Lauren McGaughy is a reporter for the Texas Newsroom, a collaboration between NPR and Texas Public Radio. She is located in Coott, Austin. Arrive to her [email protected]. Sign up for the KUT newsletter.
