Trump announces ‘DOGE’ advisory group, attracting instant lawsuits By Reuters

By Raphael Sutter, Tim Reid and Kanishka Singh

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Monday creating an advisory group called the Department of Government Efficiency aimed at making dramatic cuts to the U.S. government, prompting lawsuits challenging its performance.

The group, called the Department of Government Efficiency, or “DOGE,” is led by Tesla (NASDAQ: ) CEO Elon Musk and has big goals to eliminate entire federal agencies and cut three-quarters of federal government jobs.

Defeated Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy was a co-chairman but left to run, Trump spokeswoman Anna Kelly said. A person familiar with Ramaswamy’s plan says he is planning to run for governor of Ohio.

“To restore the competence and efficiency of our federal government, my administration will create an entirely new Department of Government Efficiency,” Trump said in his inaugural address on Monday.

An executive order announced by the White House late Monday said the group’s goal is to “modernize federal technology and software.”

Trump told reporters he plans to hire about 20 people to help carry out the group’s goals.

However, the committee, despite its name, is not an agency and has limited formal authority to implement any restructuring, let alone the massive cuts proposed by Musk and Ramaswamy.

Government employee unions, watchdog groups and public interest organizations sued within minutes of the announcement.

Among them were the National Security Advisers, who argued that DOGE was violating a 1972 law governing federal advisory committees, as were the American Public Health Association, the American Federation of Teachers and the Washington-based Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics watchdog. is a group.

Another watchdog group, Public Citizen, sued over DOGE’s uncertain legal status, along with a union representing U.S. government employees.

Tesla and the White House Office of Management and Budget, which is named as a defendant in the lawsuits, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Advisory commissions on government waste reduction are often announced with great fanfare and usually receive little attention.

In 1982, then-President Ronald Reagan announced a panel of “prominent private sector experts” to review executive branch spending, which completed its report 18 months late; Most of his recommendations were never implemented.