The billionaire head of the U.S. DOGE Service clashed with Trump Cabinet officials well before he announced he would soon head back to Tesla.

Elon Musk said he would keep doing part-time work for the Trump administration beyond next month, raising more questions about his role and whether the White House is following the rules.

DOGE has cut jobs at nearly every federal agency, canceled thousands of contracts and taken control of computer systems that run the government. As its leader, Musk has been a polarizing figure seen by many Republicans as an agent of cost cutting and efficiency and by Democrats as a blunt-force instrument hurting government services.

According to Axios, the heated argument between Elon Musk and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent happened after Musk made an end-run around the Treasury boss to have Trump install a former IRS agent who leaked details about former president Joe Biden ’s son’s taxes atop the tax collecting agency as a temporary commissioner until Trump’s pick to lead it is confirmed by the Senate.