US Department of Government Efficiency slapped with more lawsuits

The US Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a temporary organization established via executive order by President Donald Trump, has faced a flurry of legal challenges following Inauguration Day. 

On Jan. 20, Cointelegraph reported that DOGE was being sued by the nonprofit law firm National Security Counselors for allegedly violating the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA), which governs federal committees to ensure public involvement in the process. 

As reported by The Intercept, DOGE is also being sued by ethics watchdog Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics and consumer protection group Public Citizen. Meanwhile, Politico reports that the Center for Biological Diversity, a nonprofit membership organization, has also filed suit against DOGE.

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics appears to have filed the lawsuit alongside several other organizations, including the American Public Health Association, American Federation of Teachers, and Minority Veterans of America. 

“The lawsuit seeks a ruling that the establishment of DOGE is unlawful, and for the court to force DOGE to comply with the transparency, ethics, records retention and equal representation required under FACA,” Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics said, adding: 

“Currently, DOGE is operating unchecked, without authorization or funding from Congress and is led by unelected billionaires who are not representative of ordinary Americans.”

The lawsuits also take issue with DOGE being referred to as a government department, a designation that requires congressional approval. 

As Politico reported, the lawsuit filed by the Center for Biological Diversity “seeks all records from the Office of Management and Budget relating to DOGE.”

Related: Musk’s DOGE agency launches official website with Dogecoin logo

DOGE’s leadership

While campaigning for president, Trump floated the idea of naming Elon Musk to his cabinet. After winning the nomination, Trump confirmed that Musk and former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy would head up the new Department of Government Efficiency.

However, Ramaswamy exited DOGE on Inauguration Day, purportedly to focus on his Ohio governor bid.

As the brainchild of Musk, DOGE’s stated goal is to modernize government systems and fix inefficiencies in federal agencies. As The New York Times reported, DOGE is targeting up to $2 trillion in cost reductions by 2026.

Naming the government advisory “DOGE” was no coincidence. Musk has repeatedly drawn attention to the popular memecoin Dogecoin (DOGE) as a potential payment method of the future.

“Arguably the most entertaining outcome, the most ironic outcome, would be that Dogecoin becomes the currency of Earth of the future,” Musk said back in 2021.