WASHINGTON— The Center Biological Diversity sued the Trump administration today to obtain public records showing how people claiming to represent the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, have interacted with the White House since the presidential transition began in November.
Shortly after the election, then-President-elect Trump announced that Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy would lead DOGE and work with the Office of Management and Budget to eliminate regulatory safeguards, reduce the federal workforce by 70% and cut $2 trillion from the federal budget. Ramaswamy is expected to leave DOGE to run for governor of Ohio.
“Whether it’s Trump or Elon Musk who’s really running the government, we’re a nation of laws and the people have a right to know what Musk and his cronies have been up to during the transition,” said Kierán Suckling, executive director of the Center for Biological Diversity. “We know Musk is bullying civil servants and boasting about gutting nearly every legal safeguard that protects Americans, but who knows what sweetheart deals he’s making behind the scenes to enrich himself even further. We’re going to find out and we won’t leave any stone unturned.”
Since November, DOGE has reportedly recruited volunteers and paid staff. Trump has nominated Katie Miller, the wife of incoming deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, and others to work within DOGE.
-Even though Musk has not been elected to public office, he co-wrote an opinion piece that the goal of DOGE is to take away power from “unelected bureaucrats” and return it to the people. Trump has said the Office of Management and Budget, working with DOGE, will likely require federal agencies to eliminate 10 regulatory safeguards for every new safeguard added.
“Musk is using DOGE to achieve the far right’s longstanding goal of dismantling protections for our air, water and most imperiled wildlife,” said Suckling. “There should be absolutely no doubt about the damage he’ll inflict if we don’t fight their dangerous agenda.”
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