Elon Musk's DOGE email address is out; here's how Americans can seek more information from his department

Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) is one of the most important tools for keeping the U.S. government transparent. It lets journalists, researchers, and regular people request documents and information to see how the government is really working. This is super important when it comes to Elon Musk’s mysterious Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which has been cutting jobs and budgets at federal agencies super fast and without much explanation. FOIA helps uncover what’s really going on behind the scenes.

What is Elon Musk's email ID?

FOIA works best when requests are super specific. If you ask for something too broad, like “all emails about DOGE,” the government might reject it. For example, you’d need to include exact details, like an official’s email address, to get the info you want. A report from The Intercept revealed that Elon Musk has a government email address: [email protected]. This ties him to the White House Office and the Executive Office of the President. The “71” in the email likely stands for his birth year, 1971, which is pretty unusual since most government emails use the person’s full name.

Why does FOIA matter?

FOIA is like a flashlight in a dark room—it helps us see what the government is up to, especially when things are happening in secret. Without it, we wouldn’t know about stuff like Musk’s role in DOGE or how federal agencies are being reshaped. It’s a way to hold powerful people accountable and make sure they’re not hiding anything shady.

For example, DOGE has been cutting jobs