By Michael Scott
The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is off to a bumpy start after a public interest law firm leveled charges alleging violations in hiring and disclosures. The lawsuit served to the DOGE on Monday, January 20, coincides with President Donald Trump’s inauguration.
The newly established extra-governmental department is set to battle the 30-page complaint filed by National Security Counsellors alleging illegal operations in DOGE. The suit served on Monday indicates the DOGE, under Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, positions itself as a federal advisory committee.
The National Security Counselors filing alleges DOGE, which shares the acronym with Musk-backed Dogecoin, contravenes the Federal Advisory Committee Act provision. Notably, the lawsuit submits that it violates disclosures and hiring requirements.
The Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) was codified in late 2022 to oversee nearly 1,000 government-wide advisory committees. It mandates that each advisory unit dispensing advice to the president disclose to members with fairly balanced viewpoints.
Additionally, FACA obligates the accurate disclosure to the public of the functions that the advisory unit will perform. It compels the existence of a charter capturing clear practices and a transparent record of the process. The plaintiff submitted that the DOGE hardly meets the requirements.
Unauthorized Establishment
However, despite operating as an advisory committee, DOGE does not meet those requirements. The complaint illustrates that DOGE captures a heavy composition of tech-leaning experts while others lack sufficient experience to give advisory input toward governance matters.
The NSC lawyers point out that the stacked membership in DOGE represents an unfairly balanced viewpoint. Instead, the members represent a single viewpoint conveyed by small-government crusaders assembled from the tech industry and Republican politics.
The NSC lawyers hold that the shortcoming renders DOGE imbalanced and unfit in its membership to fulfill its mandate. Also, the leaders are yet to file their charter with the Congressional committees and federal agencies. The complaint considers this deficiency to allege that DOGE is unauthorized to undertake an action toward cutting the federal deficit.
Vivek Ramaswamy Ditches DOGE
The DOGE woes extend beyond the corridors of justice as Vivek Ramaswamy announced his departure from the commission President Trump championed. His exit emerged hours after the Republican leader took office on Monday, leaving Musk to steer the cost-cutting operation.
Last year, the biotech entrepreneur participated in the Grand Old Party (GOP) nomination, rivaling Donald Trump. He has recently harbored plans to seek an Ohio governor seat in 2026. Also, the Cincinnati native showed interest in the vacated Senate seat by Vice President JD Vance, only for Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine to settle on Lt. Gov. Jon Husted as successor.
The Commission spokesperson, Anna Kelly, hailed Ramaswamy’s input in creating DOGE. She added that exit is inevitable as he soon seeks an elected office position. It requires exiting DOGE guided by the structure unveiled on Monday.
Kelly hailed Vivek for his 2-month contributions and expects his continued role in making America great. The Trump nominee was co-leading the non-governmental task force alongside Musk. Their obligations were firing federal workers and minimizing waste and federal programs under the Save America agenda in Trump’s second stint.
Musk’s involvement in DOGE attracted criticism owing to SpaceX’s links to massive defense contracts and seeking business from NASA. Additionally, he leads Tesla’s electric car company, which could reap immense benefits from Trump’s decisions.
The ambitious move to reduce federal government scope often runs into resistance from the public confronted with cuts to programs that millions of Americans rely upon. The exit of the biotech entrepreneur is a loss for DOGE as Vivek offered thought leadership since endorsing Trump.
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