President Donald Trump's chief crypto adviser, David Sacks, operates under a “special government employee” designation intended for officials serving important but temporary roles within the federal government. Senator Elizabeth Warren wrote a letter alongside other Congressional Democrats questioning whether he has exceeded that limit.
According to the law, such an employee is restricted to no more than 130 working days a year. The Wednesday letter requests Sacks to quantify the days he has worked for Trump in his capacity as crypto and artificial intelligence czar. Under existing rules, any day of work counts toward that limit, although some agencies may use a “good faith” estimate for how long an official intends to serve.
“If you have worked every business day, your 130th day was July 25, 2025,” the letter indicates, signed by Warren and several other members of Congress, including Bernie Sanders. The lawmakers describe their timeline review since the administration’s January 20 start as an “investigation.”
“If you have indeed exceeded the 130th day threshold, you are compromising the careful balance Congress established in creating the SGE designation. Your SGE designation is the reason you have been able to continue working for and receiving compensation from Craft Ventures while in government,” the letter stated.
Trump has prominently utilized this temporary employment status, also hiring Tesla CEO Elon Musk in a similar role. This personnel tool facilitates bringing expertise into government without navigating some typical bureaucratic hiring challenges. Earlier this year, other Congressional Democrats introduced a bill aimed at curbing such employees from leveraging their roles for financial gain, and Warren has also sought legislation to restrict SGEs.
Since Trump assumed office, there have been over 170 business days. During this time, Sacks has been spearheading the president's proactive crypto agenda, which recently celebrated a significant new law regulating U.S. stablecoin issuers — highlighted by a White House signing ceremony that Sacks attended.
Sacks has also supervised the administration’s daily crypto adviser role, which was initially held by Bo Hines until he transitioned to work for Tether as its top U.S. executive. Patrick Witt has since taken over Hines’s position as executive director of the President's Council of Advisers on Digital Assets, and he confirmed to CoinDesk that he continues to collaborate closely with Sacks.
