On the same day that the new administration was sworn in, a federal workers’ union and two advocacy groups sued President Donald Trump and the Office of Management and Budget on Monday over an advisory panel led by Elon Musk and (formerly) Vivek Ramaswamy, arguing the administration is violating federal transparency laws.
The lawsuit, filed in the US District Court in Washington, challenges Trump’s newly created “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE), which originated from an August 2024 discussion between Trump and Musk on X.
The American Federation of Government Employees, which represents 800,000 federal workers across 900 local unions, joined Public Citizen, a consumer advocacy organization active since 1971, and the State Democracy Defenders Fund, a nonprofit focused on protecting democratic institutions, in alleging that DOGE is operating in violation of the Federal Advisory Committee Act, which requires federal advisory committees to operate transparently and maintain balanced membership.
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“DOGE’s operations during the transition period were shrouded in secrecy,” the complaint stated, noting that the group has conducted “much of its communication… on Signal, the encrypted messaging app.” According to media reports, DOGE representatives had “preliminary interviews” with officials at more than a dozen federal agencies and plans to embed staff within federal offices.
The group is modeled after the Grace Commission, a Reagan-era panel that recommended billions in spending cuts. However, unlike similar advisory committees used by Presidents Reagan, Clinton, and Obama that operated under FACA guidelines, DOGE has not filed a charter or followed transparency requirements, the lawsuit alleges.
When Public Citizen and State Democracy Defenders Fund requested to join DOGE to provide balance to its business-heavy membership, they were either ignored or rejected. DOGE member and Trump transition spokesperson Katie Miller explained the rejection, saying “President Trump’s Truth [Social post] made clear we have no room in our administration for Democrats,” according to the complaint.
Trump formally announced DOGE in a September 9, 2024 speech to the Economic Club of New York and has directed the group to complete its recommendations for government reforms by July 4, 2026.
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