Elon Musk's 'government efficiency' department challenged in court

Several organizations, including the main union of American civil servants, challenged Monday in court the legality of the department of “governmental efficiency” that President Donald Trump wants to create under the direction of conservative billionaire Elon Musk. At least three appeals were filed on Monday, the first day of Donald Trump's new mandate, before the American courts against this commission, known by its acronym, «DOGE».

One of these appeals, with which the Federal Government Employees Union (AFGE) has joined, which has hundreds of thousands of members, requires that the commission respect the rules laid down by federal law on the matter. This law “imposes various safeguards to prevent these commissions from becoming a means of promoting private interests in the federal decision-making process and covertly influencing federal officials”recall the plaintiffs. They therefore ask the courts to guarantee “a balanced representation of points of view” within the commission as well as transparency on its activities and work. They worry as well “DOGE’s operations during the transition period were shrouded in secrecy”.

Following his election in November, Donald Trump rewarded the boss of SpaceX, X and Tesla for his support during the campaign by announcing his intention to appoint him to head this newly created body, responsible for cutting federal spending. , jointly with Republican businessman Vivek Ramaswamy. During the campaign, Elon Musk assured that he could reduce federal public spending by $2,000 billion, a drop of 30% compared to the total for the 2024 budget year. The objective assigned by the Republican president to this commission is to achieve a “smaller government” for the leading world power on July 4, 2026, the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence of the United States.