Following the inauguration of President Donald Trump on January 20, Elon Musk’s proposed Department of Government Efficiency, dubbed DOGE, confronted immediate legal challenges with multiple lawsuits filed within minutes of Trump's swearing-in. The lawsuits argue that DOGE operates as a federal advisory committee and violates the transparency requirements outlined in the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA).

The first lawsuit, brought by the progressive organization Democracy Forward, condemns DOGE as a "shadow operation led by unelected billionaires" that could make impactful recommendations without appropriate accountability. A second lawsuit from the public interest group National Security Counselors highlights significant legal oversights in DOGE’s establishment and calls attention to its lack of representation for federal employees. This suit notes that none of the members of DOGE represent federal employees or possess expertise in the federal workforce's nuances, which is crucial for fair recommendations on employment practices.

Moreover, the third suit includes plaintiffs from the Public Citizen think tank and the American Federation of Government Employees, claiming that DOGE does not reflect the concerns of the everyday American worker. The lawsuits build a case against DOGE’s seemingly exclusive selection process, which, according to critics, favors tech industry figures and Trump associates, neglecting input from a broader, more diverse set of voices within the federal system. Notably, despite Musk’s promise that DOGE would operate with maximal transparency, much of the communication has reportedly taken place on encrypted platforms like Signal, allowing critics to argue that this hampers public oversight.

As expressed by Kel McClanahan, executive director of National Security Counselors, "Government work is not corporate work, and any recommendations made without that perspective are doomed to fail." This statement underscores the contention that DOGE may make potentially harmful recommendations regarding the workforce without a full understanding of federal employee roles.

With Trump campaigning on cutting federal spending and regulations, initiatives like DOGE are set to influence spending on a grand scale, estimating potential cuts of up to $2 trillion. Highlighting the urgency of the lawsuits, they assert that the lack of proper procedures puts millions of Americans at risk of loss from uninformed recommendations.

For further details, visit the complete reports on CBS News and USA Today.