The orders come as 14 Democratic state attorney generals are taking Trump, Musk and DOGE to court
For the last two months, the new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has worked in secrecy under the orders of President Donald Trump and his ‘first buddy’ Elon Musk.
The days of secrecy are over, as a federal judge appointed by former President Barack Obama has ordered Tesla CEO Elon Musk to disclose DOGE’s government plan and identify all of its employees. US District Judge Tanya Chutkan has directed Musk to provide crucial information about his government dealings. This move comes as 14 Democratic state attorneys general take legal action against Trump, Musk, and DOGE, accusing Musk of unconstitutionally wielding power, as reported by Politico.
DOGE now has three weeks to provide the requested information, which Judge Chutkan will review to determine whether to block the department’s operations entirely.
The eight-page court filing includes six interrogatories, with the first asking: “Identify every individual who has served as DOGE Administrator or as the functional head of DOGE, including in an acting capacity, since January 20, 2025, and the dates served in that capacity.”
The filing also demands identification of all individuals with the authority to hire or terminate DOGE personnel since January 20, 2025.
In addition, there are requests for admission, such as: “Admit that Elon Musk is not supervised by any Officer of the United States other than the President of the United States.”
Despite not being elected by the public, Elon Musk has been leading the new government division alongside former Republican presidential candidate and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy.
Their mission is to overhaul the US government, with plans to eliminate thousands of jobs and significantly reduce the wage bill. Once their work is complete, they have pledged to disband the department, setting a target date of no later than July 4, 2026—Independence Day next year.
As former President Trump puts it, their primary objective is to “dismantle government bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure federal agencies.”
This initiative has already caused significant disruption across the country, with mass layoffs, the elimination of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs, and substantial cuts to the Department of Education. Additionally, 1,600 employees at USAID (the United States Agency for International Development) have been terminated, and another 4,200 workers have been placed on leave. DOGE’s ultimate goal is to shrink the federal workforce from around 10,000 employees to just 500.
