President Donald Trump’s proposed “DOGE” government cutback commission came under fire during his inauguration ceremony Monday with three federal lawsuits seeking to shut it down before it even becomes official.
The progressive group Public Citizen and a legal advocacy firm called National Security Counselors want a federal judge to hit the brakes before the so-called Department of Government Efficiency — which isn’t an actual government agency, but an office Trump is instituting in the White House — can start recommending sweeping closures.
DOGE is the pet project of billionaire Elon Musk, who has vowed to bring Silicon Valley’s move-fast-and-break-things sensibilities to the federal bureaucracy. Trump had tapped former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy to co-lead it as well, but the tech executive is reportedly leaving the initiative to campaign for Ohio governor.