Elon Musk, who has moved swiftly to shrink the size of the U.S. government at President Donald Trump's behest, is now considered a "special government employee," the White House said on Monday.

Here is a look at the legal questions arising from Musk's activities as he seeks to shrink the federal bureaucracy. WHAT IS MUSK'S ROLE? The White House says Musk is a special government employee, meaning he does not get paid and is only allowed to work 130 days or fewer in a year.

The SGE designation, which has come under scrutiny under Democrats as well, exempts short-term federal employees from certain disclosure rules.

President Trump made Elon Musk, head of the Department of Government Efficiency, a 'special government employee' at the White House. Here's what that means.

Now that Elon Musk has been classified as a "special government employee," he will get greater access to U.S. government agencies.