Elon Musk’s DOGE faces lawsuit as Trump takes office

On By Littum

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WASHINGTON — An advocacy group is threatening to sue President-elect Donald Trump’s proposed Department of Government Efficiency, the Elon Musk-led commission that would aim to cut trillions in federal government spending and regulations.

The group of national security adviserswhich advocates for transparency in national security matters, argues that DOGE would violate a 1972 law that requires advisory committees to the executive branch to follow rules on disclosure of their appointments and other practices.

Trump had appointed Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy to lead the new advisory group to identify government regulations and spending to be cut. Ramaswamy has since shifted his focus to election office and is expected to run for governor in Ohio.

Critics have said that Musk – the head of SpaceX, which receives government subsidies to build private rockets, and Tesla, an electric vehicle maker that the government promotes with subsidies – has conflicts in advising Trump.

National security advisers said they would file his lawsuit just after noon Monday, when Trump is officially sworn in as the 47th president.th chairman.

“No one disputes that there is a tremendous amount of wasteful spending in the federal government,” said Kel McClanahan, the group’s executive director. “Our only concern is that DOGE, as currently constituted, lacks the expertise to understand how its recommendations will backfire if it pushes federal workers out without understanding why they are there in the first place.”

“Government work is not corporate work,” McClanahan said, “and any recommendation without that perspective is doomed to failure.”

The trial was first reported by The Washington Post.

Trump campaigned to cut federal spending and regulations, arguing that his election victory gave him a mandate.

“Together, these two wonderful Americans will pave the way for my administration to dismantle government bureaucracy, cut redundant regulations, cut wasteful spending, and restructure federal agencies — essential to the ‘Save America’ movement,” Trump said in a statement. when he announced DOGE in November.

Musk has estimated that DOGE may recommend cuts of up to $2 trillion.

“This will send shockwaves through the system and everyone involved in government waste, which is a lot of people!” Musk said in a statement.

The lawsuit claims DOGE meets the requirements to be considered a “federal advisory committee,” a class of legal entities regulated to ensure the government receives transparent and balanced advice.

Such “federal advisory committees,” known as FACAs, are required by law to have “fairly balanced” representation, keep regular meeting minutes, allow public participation, file a charter with Congress and more — all steps DOGE does not show to have taken.

“DOGE is not exempt from FACA’s requirements,” the lawsuit states. “All meetings of the DOGE, including those held via an electronic medium, shall be open to the public.”