Politics / DOGE Elon Musk's DOGE Is About to Get Sued Advocacy group says the new non-government panel violates transparency laws By John Johnson, Newser Staff Posted Jan 20, 2025 10:59 AM CST Copied Elon Musk arrives at the Rotunda of the US Capitol in Washington, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. In foreground are Susie Wiles, left and Miriam Adelson. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, Pool) The Trump administration plans to start day one on an aggressive footing. But it also might be playing some defense, too: The new Department of Government Efficiency run by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy is getting sued on Monday, reports the Washington Post. The advocacy group National Security Counselors says DOGE qualifies as a "federal advisory committee" but isn't following protocol on transparency in terms of its hiring and other practices as required under a 1972 law. Among other things, the complaint argues that all DOGE meetings should be public. "Nobody disputes that there is a huge amount of wasteful spending in the federal government," Kel McClanahan, the advocacy group's executive director, tells USA Today. "Our only concern is that DOGE, as it is currently constituted, lacks the expertise to understand how its recommendations will backfire if it pushes federal workers out without understanding why they are there in the first place." The group advocates for transparency on issues related to national security. (Meanwhile, Ramaswamy might be resigning from DOGE to pursue a run for governor of Ohio.) Report an error