Fourteen Democratic state attorneys general filed a lawsuit on Thursday against the Department of Government Efficeniecny (DOGE), calling it “unconstitutional.”
The state attorneys argue that there “is no greater threat to democracy than the accumulation of state power,” referencing Elon Musk, who is leading DOGE.
They said Musk “has roamed through the federal government unraveling agencies, accessing sensitive data, and causing mass chaos and confusion for state and local governments, federal employees, and the American people.”
The lawsuit says President Donald Trump has given Musk “unchecked authority” without “proper legal authorization from Congress and without meaningful supervision of his activities.”
Furthermore, the state attorneys general say Trump has transformed a position that managed government websites into an “agent of chaos without limitation and in violation of the separation of powers.”
Trump created DOGE by executive order to modernize “federal technology and software to maximize governmental efficiency and productivity.” The executive order said that DOGE will last 18 months and be terminated on July 4, 2026.
Less than a month into DOGE’s existence, Musk has uncovered wasteful federal spending. It found that the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) wasted American taxpayer dollars.
USAID spent money on things including: “$45 million for DEI scholarships in Burma,” “$3 million for girls centered climate action in Brazil,” “$2 million for sex changes in Guatemala,” and “$280,000 for diverse birdwatchers.”
USAID’s workforce was cut from 10,000 employees to 294. Current and former USAID workers sued Musk this week.
Despite this work, these state attorneys say that the Senate did not confirm Musk.
“His officer-level actions are thus unconstitutional. This Court should restore constitutional order and, consistent with the Appointments Clause, enjoin Mr. Musk from issuing orders to any person in the Executive Branch outside of DOGE and otherwise engaging in the actions of an officer of the United States, and declare that his actions to date are ultra vires and of no legal effect,” they wrote.
The state attorneys general filed this lawsuit in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia.
The state attorneys general in this lawsuit represent the states of New Mexico, Arizona, Michigan, California, Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, Vermont, Rhode Island, Hawaii, Washington, and Oregon.
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Zachery Schmidt is the digital editor of The Star News Network. Email tips to Zachery at [email protected]. Follow Zachery on Twitter @zacheryschmidt2.
