Elon Musk found himself at the center of legal chaos on Monday. While rubbing shoulders with billionaires at Donald Trump’s inauguration, his initiative, DOGE, got hit with three lawsuits. Each targeted its legality and lack of transparency.
During Trump’s speech, which included bold promises about DOGE and Mars exploration, watchdogs filed lawsuits. The lawsuits claimed DOGE bypasses Congress and operates in secrecy.
“DOGE is led by unelected billionaires,” said CREW, an advocacy group, in a statement. CREW partnered with unions and civil society groups to file the first case. They argued DOGE’s structure and actions violated federal law.
National Security Counselors, a nonprofit law firm, filed the second lawsuit. The third came from Public Citizen and the American Federation of Government Employees, the largest federal workers’ union. They claimed DOGE’s lack of compliance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act was illegal.
The act requires advisory committees to follow strict rules, including public meetings and formal charters. DOGE, they said, ignored all of this. “DOGE is sweeping in its scope and deeply consequential,” said Public Citizen.
They particularly pointed out the way the initiative looked to cut government programs and agencies that dealt with public welfare. CREW also claimed that DOGE’s team used encrypted messaging apps like Signal, casting a shadow over accountability.
Trump’s Vision for DOGE Sparks Legal Disputes
Trump styled DOGE as a “department,” however, federal law disallows these in the absence of congressional approval. He even suggested an additional agency, the “External Revenue Service,” that would be liable to collect tariffs, but it would also entail the questioning of the legislation.
The litigation accused the main figures, like Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, who were chosen to head up DOGE. Critics observed that their recruitment from Silicon Valley and private meetings were against the transparency laws.
The cases focus on the argument that DOGE is a proper advisory committee. If it succeeds, the agency might suspend its operations or fail to comply with the legal process.
With the federal courts partaking in the process, DOGE’s destiny lies in the judges’ decision. Such that, as Trump and Musk advance consolidation, the challenges to be faced will become insuperable. The first struggle will be to obtain transparency and adherence to the law.
