Elon Musk’s future commission already attacked in court

UNITED STATES – Donald Trump’s mandate began a few hours ago, and one of his campaign promises is already being challenged in court. The commission of“governmental efficiency” (the “Department of Government Efficiency” or “DOGE”) led by conservative billionaire Elon Musk is the target of at least three appeals filed on Monday January 20.

The main American civil servants union (AFGE), which has hundreds of thousands of members, joined one of the appeals. The latter requires that Elon Musk’s commission – supposed to make massive cuts in the state budget – respect the rules laid down by federal law.

The latter “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 “smallest government” for the world’s leading power by July 4, 2026, the 250th anniversary of the United States Declaration of Independence.

Also see on HuffPost :