SpaceX CEO Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency could boost his company and take his least favorite government agency to task.

Musk has a well-publicized feud with the Federal Aviation Administration, which has jurisdiction over SpaceX’s areas of interest. The two are frequently in conflict, with Musk’s breakneck pace clashing with one of the most rules-conscious agencies. With Musk set to run the DOGE, his threats of lawsuits and social media taunts could transform into real action against the agency.

The feud escalated over the past year when the FAA suggested a $633,009 fine on SpaceX for proceeding with launch plans it didn’t give the go-ahead for. The company had to halt launches in Texas over a pending Fish and Wildlife Service review. Musk announced a lawsuit in September, claiming “politically motivated behavior by the FAA.”

Musk has made a grandiose argument against the FAA: The agency’s strict regulations are impeding human civilization by preventing a speedy trip to Mars. If given the power, he is almost certain to use this logic to shake up the 50,000-person agency.

While being Musk’s most tempting target, it is also the most formidable.

However, the FAA has plenty of defenders. It is a rare agency that enjoys bipartisan backing in Congress, Politico reported, having an impressive tenure that hasn’t seen a fatal plane crash by a U.S.-based airline since 2009.

Looking to slash the agency’s regulations also carries significant risks — a single plane crash afterward would allow critics to lay the blame on Musk and the Trump administration.

Most of the six former and current FAA officials interviewed by Politico expressed confidence that the agency would put up a major fight if targeted by Musk.

“He has met an agency that doesn’t just bend … that has a very clear mission,” one said. “He is going to need their permission to operate.”

Musk has some possible allies in Congress. Rep. Rick Crawford (R-AR), expected to be the next chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, has said there are “definitely some changes that need to be made” regarding the agency’s space regulations, citing competition with China.

“For this country to outsource our space program and then try to impede the progress of the very company that we’re relying on seems to be a little bit counterintuitive, so we’re going to attempt to fix that,” he said.

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Despite the name, the DOGE will most likely not be a federal department due to the difficulties of creating such a body out of thin air. It is likely to take the form of the 1982 Grace Commission, which worked closely with the government but took on a solely advisory role.

Trump would be able to create the advisory board through an executive order, as approved through the 1972 Federal Advisory Committee Act. Reagan created the Grace Commission through Executive Order 12369.