Lawsuit Targets Trump’s DOGE Initiative Over Alleged Transparency Violations

WASHINGTON, D.C. — A lawsuit filed by the public interest law firm National Security Counselors alleges that the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a cost-cutting initiative led by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, violates federal transparency laws. The lawsuit, set to be filed shortly after President-elect Donald Trump‘s inauguration on Jan. 20, claims DOGE is operating as an unregulated federal advisory committee.

The Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) requires advisory groups to be “fairly balanced” in representation and accessible to the public. The lawsuit argues that DOGE, which includes tech executives, Trump campaign affiliates, and associates of Musk and Ramaswamy, lacks federal employee representation and transparency. “Not a single member of DOGE is a federal employee or represents the perspective of federal employees,” the lawsuit states.

DOGE, though not an official government department, was tasked by Trump to recommend ways to reduce federal spending. Musk and Ramaswamy have claimed the initiative could save billions in annual expenditures. However, critics argue that DOGE’s private meetings with elected officials and tech executives violate FACA’s public access requirements.

Kel McClanahan, executive director of National Security Counselors, emphasized the risks of uninformed recommendations. “Government work is not corporate work, and any recommendations made without that perspective are doomed to fail,” he said in an email to CBS MoneyWatch.

The lawsuit’s plaintiffs include two attorneys, Jerald Lentini and Joshua Erlich, who applied to join DOGE but received no response. The suit alleges that their exclusion reflects a broader lack of representation for federal employees and transparency advocates.

Neither the Trump campaign nor Elon Musk responded to requests for comment. Ramaswamy, who is expected to launch a campaign for Ohio governor later this month, also did not comment.