#Musk's New Department Faces Three Lawsuits#

Elon Musk's newly formed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has been hit with three lawsuits immediately after President Trump was sworn in. The suits allege that DOGE violated the Federal Advisory Committee Act of 1972 by failing to meet transparency requirements such as public meetings, balanced perspectives, and recordkeeping. The first lawsuit was filed by the left-leaning legal organization Democracy Forward, which accuses DOGE of being a "shadow institution" led by "unelected billionaires" that could make decisions affecting millions of Americans without transparency or oversight. The second lawsuit was filed by the National Security Counselors, focusing on the formation and operation of DOGE, arguing that it failed to comply with the law governing advisory committees and alleging that DOGE's members are primarily tech industry executives, lacking diversity and balance. The third lawsuit, filed jointly by Public Citizen, State Democracy Defenders Fund, and the American Federation of Government Employees, argues that DOGE members failed to represent the interests of ordinary Americans. The three groups previously applied to Trump's transition team for representation in DOGE, but were not granted access. Although Musk previously stated that all DOGE actions would be publicly available online to ensure transparency, the suits allege that much of its communication is conducted through the encrypted app Signal, lacking transparency. Suit attorney McClanahan said DOGE could make short-sighted decisions due to a lack of federal employee perspectives, emphasizing that "government work is different from running a business." As of now, Musk, Trump, and their respective representatives have not yet responded to the lawsuits.