Gerrard Kaonga
A judge has likely thrown a wrench into the workings of DOGE after a new order, while they also deal with 14 different Democratic state attorney generals.
President Donald Trump has praised the new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) as well as Elon Musk since returning to the White Office.
Trump has insisted that DOGE’s primary objective is to ‘dismantle government bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure federal agencies'.
However, how they have been doing this is now being scrutinized with a judge calling for more clarity and transparency from the department.
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Barack Obama appointed US District Judge Tanya Chutkan has ordered the department to provide certain information about his government dealings.
This demand for more transparency appears to stem from the 14 Democratic state attorney generals are taking Trump, Musk, and DOGE to court, claiming that Musk is unconstitutionally wielding power.
Chutkan said her order focused mainly on who at DOGE was making cost-cutting decisions and how far they could go.
She wrote: “Defendants argue that the 'inner workings of government' are immaterial to an Appointments Clause claim.
“The court is not convinced, but that is a legal issue appropriate for resolution after fulsome briefing.
“At this stage it is sufficient that plaintiffs' discovery requests intend to reveal the scope of DOGE's and Musk's authority.”
DOGE has three weeks to provide Chutkan with the information requested, which she will use to decide whether or not to block DOGE's operations completely.
The eight-page court filing included six interrogatories.
The first reads: "Identify every individual who has served as DOGE Administrator or as the functional head of DOGE, including in an acting capacity, since January 20, 2025, and the dates served in that capacity.
"As part of this response, identify all individuals with authority to hire or terminate employment of DOGE personnel since January 20, 2025."
This move will likely also explain what Musk’s role is in regards to DOGE, which has proven to be rather ambiguous.
Musk himself is a ‘special government employee’, which the White House has said means his financial disclosure filing will not be made public.
As well as this, the White House has said Musk is a senior advisor to the president. Musk has also been seen proudly wearing a t shirt that reads ‘Tech Support’, while working with Trump and his administration.