Minutes after inauguration, federal employee union sues Trump over 'Musk's 'Doge'

Minutes after Donald Trump was sworn in as the 47th US president, the largest union of US federal government employees on Monday filed suit against Trump over his plans to create a cost-cutting “Department of Government Efficiency” headed by billionaire Elon Musk.

According to AFP, the suit was filed in a district court in Washington by the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) and non-profit Public Citizen.

Trump has assigned Musk, the world’s wealthiest individual, the goal of reducing federal government spending by billions.

Both Trump and Musk have suggested that up to $2 trillion could be saved, though many experts consider this figure unrealistic without significant reductions to essential social services or benefits.

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In its lawsuit, the AFGE, representing around 800,000 federal workers, seeks to ensure that Doge adheres to the standards set for federal advisory committees.

“The advice and guidance that Mr Trump has charged DOGE with producing is sweeping and consequential,” AFP quoted the complaint as saying.

“Doge - the members of which currently do not represent the interests of everyday Americans - will be recommending cuts to government agencies and programs that protect health, benefits, consumer finance, and product safety,” it added.

Citing The Washington Post, The Guardian earlier reported that the 30-page lawsuit contests the legality of the government advisory committee Trump plans to establish, claiming it breaches federal transparency regulations concerning disclosure, hiring, and other practices.

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The public interest law firm National Security Counselors says that Musk’s efficiency panel qualifies as a “federal advisory committee” but does not adhere to legal requirements for “fairly balanced” representation, record-keeping of its meetings, and transparency to the public.

According to reports, Doge has already employed dozens of staffers who operate from Musk’s SpaceX offices in Washington, D.C., and frequently communicate via the encrypted messaging app Signal.

According to CBS News, Tech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, who was selected to co-lead the group with Musk, is now likely to withdraw from the initiative as he prepares to run for governor of Ohio.

The report said that Musk “privately undercut” Ramaswamy for several weeks, expressing frustration with his limited involvement in the Doge project, which seeks to eliminate numerous government programmes and agencies, along with thousands of jobs, in pursuit of greater efficiency.

“Vivek has worn out his welcome,” CBS quoted one person close to Trump as saying.

Legal challenges to the legitimacy of Doge are anticipated, even by Musk, who claims his government opponents are employing “lawfare” tactics against him and his companies.

Details of Musk’s efficiency project remain unclear, with insiders emphasising the need for secrecy to thwart potential legal interference. While Trump asserts the initiative will bring about “drastic change,” as an advisory committee, it lacks the authority to implement government cuts on its own, reported The Guardian.

According to the New York Times, Doge executives will serve unpaid six-month terms before returning to their regular jobs, classified as “special government employees” under federal rules.

The advisory committee is unlikely to be formalised as an outside entity or nonprofit; instead, it operates more as a collective aligned with Musk and Ramaswamy.

Among those who have been interviewed as prospective workers for Doge are Silicon Valley investors Marc Andreessen, Sequoia Capital’s Shaun Maguire, and Human Capital’s Baris Akis, added the report.

Sam Hammond, senior economist at the Foundation for American Innovation, told The Washington Post that Doge aims to implement ideas within the executive branch while potentially being exempt from certain reporting requirements.

“Doge isn’t a federal advisory committee because Doge doesn’t really exist,” Hammond told the outlet.

“Doge is a branding exercise, a shorthand for Trump’s government reform efforts.”

With inputs from agencies