Latest news with #DOGE-affiliated
The Hill
4 days ago
- Business
- The Hill
Democrats launch probe into DOGE staffers embedded across agencies
A coalition of Democratic lawmakers is launching an investigation into the 'alarming extent' they say staffers with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) have embedded themselves in agencies across the government. 'Although Elon Musk has departed, his influence remains, as DOGE and its employees attempt to become a permanent part of the federal government, scattered across agencies where they can continue to sabotage key functions from within,' the lawmakers wrote in a letter to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the Office of Personnel Management (OPM). 'The conversion of DOGE appointees to career federal service roles—even as most agencies are under a hiring freeze—could potentially run afoul of laws that explicitly ban political considerations and loyalty tests in hiring practices. Additionally, it is unclear who newly embedded DOGE staff are accountable to and if they truly serve within the chain of command of the agencies they work for.' The inquiry, spearheaded by Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), was launched in connection with Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and House Oversight ranking member Robert Garcia (D-Calif.). OPM pushed back, saying any DOGE employees that have remained at their assigned agencies have done so after being hired as political appointees, not as career staffers, while noting the process to transition from one to the other. 'Senator Warren's letter misconstrues the civil service hiring process. OPM's Office of Merit Systems Accountability and Compliance reviews all requests to appoint current or recent political appointees to career roles for compliance with merit systems principles and civil service laws,' OPM Director Scott Kupor said in a statement. 'In addition, all federal hires undergo required background checks, ethics reviews, and suitability screenings. No DOGE-affiliated individuals have 'unlawfully burrowed' into career roles. We welcome oversight grounded in facts.' The letter cites an NPR investigation from June that found that several DOGE staffers had been converted to permanent jobs within the government. It also notes some had transitioned from roles as 'special government employees,' which are time-limited, to 'full-time federal workers.' The lawmakers ask for a number of details about DOGE including the total number of DOGE employees with a breakdown by agency, a list of who they report to and whether any have been hired for 'competitive federal positions.' It also asks whether any were reviewed for potential conflicts of interest before being hired as special government employees.
Politico
22-07-2025
- Business
- Politico
Inside DC's invite-only AI after party
Presented by Chevron Welcome to POLITICO's West Wing Playbook: Remaking Government, your guide to Donald Trump's unprecedented overhaul of the federal government — the key decisions, the critical characters and the power dynamics that are upending Washington and beyond. Send tips | Subscribe | Email Sophia | Email Irie | Email Ben President DONALD TRUMP is scheduled to deliver a high-profile address tomorrow touting his Artificial Intelligence Action Plan, but the real action will happen hours later at a private after party. The exclusive event will be held at Ned's Club, the invite-only rooftop social club perched atop the Walker Building next to the White House, where membership sets you back $5,000 per year. The event is hosted by CHRISTIAN GARRETT, managing partner at 137 Ventures — an early investor in SpaceX and Anduril — and cofounder of the Hill & Valley Forum that's co-hosting tomorrow's rollout with the All-In podcast. The after party is shaping up to be a who's who of Silicon Valley's AI and tech elite — and the people in Washington deciding how to investigate, fund or do business with them, according to an invite list obtained by POLITICO. Trump's new AI strategy is expected to cut regulation, push exports, speed up data center builds and go after 'woke AI,' our MOHAR CHATTERJEE reports. That approach, combined with ELON MUSK's advance into government earlier this year, has accelerated the convergence of tech power and Washington policymaking. And the Ned's party list shows who is likely to benefit from the changes underfoot. Sen. RICK SCOTT (R-Fla.) will deliver the keynote, according to the invite. He'll discuss his experience as an entrepreneur and highlight the need to shrink government, a person familiar with his thinking said. Among those invited are OpenAI COO BRAD LIGHTCAP, Meta's ALEXANDR WANG and a slate of top venture capitalists including Sequoia's SHAUN MAGUIRE — now well known in political circles for his MAGA-aligned social media posts and beef with New York City mayoral candidate ZOHRAN MAMDANI. The invite list also includes executives and officials from a range of social circles including: DOGE: More than 30 DOGE-affiliated federal officials, including STEPHEN EHIKIAN, THOMAS SHEDD and JOSH GRUENBAUM at General Services Administration, along with ANTHONY ARMSTRONG at the National Security Council. They're joined by DOGE engineers including LUKE FARRITOR, MARKO ELEZ and EDWARD 'BIG BALLS' CORISTINE, who tore through federal agencies with Musk in the early days of DOGE. Elon allies: The newly confirmed OPM director and Andreessen Horowitz veteran, SCOTT KUPOR, SpaceX's head of policy, TIM HUGHES, and retired Gen. TERRENCE O'SHAUGHNESSY, one of Musk's top advisers at SpaceX. White House: Trump policy advisor EMILY UNDERWOOD. The antitrust flank: Federal Trade Commission CTO JAKE DENTON, DOJ's antitrust chief of staff, SARA MATAR, and MARK WAIT, a top aide to Sen. MIKE LEE (R-Utah), who chairs the Senate Judiciary subcommittee on antitrust. The Pentagon: EMIL MICHAEL, the former Uber executive turned undersecretary of Defense for research and engineering, and ALEXANDER CAMPBELL, chief of staff of the Defense Innovation Unit. The private sector: Anduril's president, MATTHEW STECKMAN, and emissaries from Palantir, Thrive Capital (JOSHUA KUSHNER's firm), Applied Intuition, Plaid, Stripe, Ramp, Databricks and others. Christine Mui and Daniel Lippman contributed reporting. MESSAGE US — West Wing Playbook is obsessively covering the Trump administration's reshaping of the federal government. Are you a federal worker? A DOGE staffer? Have you picked up on any upcoming DOGE moves? We want to hear from you on how this is playing out. Email us at westwingtips@ Did someone forward this email to you? Subscribe! POTUS PUZZLER How many presidents did not have any pets in the White House? (Answer at bottom.) The Oval EPSTEIN SAGA, CONT: Trump attempted to shift the focus away from the controversy over the sealed documents in the JEFFREY EPSTEIN case today, and instead urged his Justice Department to go after former President BARACK OBAMA, our ELI STOKOLS reports. 'Whether it's right or wrong, it's time to go after people,' Trump said in the Oval Office, accusing the former president of 'treason' for an alleged plot to rig the 2016 presidential election. PATRICK RODENBUSH, a spokesperson for Obama, called Trump's claim 'outrageous' in a statement. 'Out of respect for the office of the presidency, our office does not normally dignify the constant nonsense and misinformation flowing out of this White House with a response,' he said. 'But these claims are outrageous enough to merit one. These bizarre allegations are ridiculous and a weak attempt at distraction.' Agenda Setting COUNT US OUT: The U.S. will pull out of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization at the president's request, our NICOLE MARKUS reports. 'President Trump has decided to withdraw the United States from UNESCO — which supports woke, divisive cultural and social causes that are totally out-of-step with the commonsense policies that Americans voted for in November,' White House deputy press secretary ANNA KELLY said in a statement. In February, Trump issued an executive order requiring Secretary of State MARCO RUBIO to review UNESCO and other international organizations which may 'promote radical or anti-American sentiment.' HISTORY UNDER REVIEW: Employees of the National Park Service have had to flag descriptions and displays at parks and historic sites for review after a Trump executive order directed employees to remove or cover up materials that 'inappropriately disparage Americans,' NYT's MAXINE JOSELOW and LISA FRIEDMAN report. Some of the flags employees raised include: ELIZABETH PEACE, a spokesperson for the Interior Department, the parent agency of the Park Service, said the Trump administration's move 'is not about rewriting the past.' 'Interpretive materials that disproportionately emphasize negative aspects of U.S. history or historical figures, without acknowledging broader context or national progress, can unintentionally distort understanding rather than enrich it,' she said. NO NEED: The Department of Labor is planning to rewrite or repeal more than 60 'obsolete' workplace regulations, from minimum wage requirements for some workers to standards governing exposure to harmful substances, AP's CATHY BUSSEWITZ reports, in what the department secretary called the 'most ambitious proposal to slash red tape of any department across the federal government.' If approved, the changes would also impact working conditions at construction sites and in mines, and limit the government's ability to penalize employers if workers are injured or killed while engaged in dangerous activities. 'The Department of Labor is proud to lead the way by eliminating unnecessary regulations that stifle growth and limit opportunity,' Secretary of Labor LORI CHAVEZ-DeREMER said in a statement. WHERE'S THE MONEY? The White House and Republican lawmakers are locked in a confrontation with a federal watchdog that has opened dozens of investigations into whether the administration has illegally withheld billions of dollars in congressionally appropriated funds, NYT's TONY ROMM reports. The attacks target the Government Accountability Office, which produces reports on ways that Washington can save money. The GAO has twice determined in recent months that the president violated rules preventing him from unilaterally canceling funding, first for withholding federal funding for electric vehicle charging stations and then again for libraries across the country. White House budget director RUSS VOUGHT has denied any wrongdoings, arguing that the White House's spending is an attempt to use taxpayers' dollars more effectively. A spokesperson for Vought declined to comment. In the Courts NOT VIBING: Federal judges ousted Trump's former personal attorney ALINA HABBA as New Jersey's top federal prosecutor, exercising a statute to rebuff the administration's wishes, our RY RIVARD and DANIEL HAN report. The state's district court judges voted to not let Habba, who was serving on an interim basis, stay on the job after her 120-day term expires, instead choosing prosecutor DESIREE LEIGH GRACE. White House spokesperson HARRISON FIELDS said in a statement that 'President Trump has full confidence in Alina Habba,' adding that the administration 'looks forward to her final confirmation in the U.S. Senate and will work tirelessly to ensure the people of New Jersey are well represented.' Knives Out LATE NIGHT ATTACKS: The president slammed late night talk show hosts JIMMY KIMMEL and JIMMY FALLON today after they voiced support for 'The Late Show' host STEPHEN COLBERT after Paramount canceled his show amid an ongoing riff between the network and the Trump administration, Markus reports. 'The word is, and it's a strong word at that, Jimmy Kimmel is NEXT to go in the untalented Late Night Sweepstakes and, shortly thereafter, Fallon will be gone,' he wrote on Truth Social. 'These are people with absolutely NO TALENT, who were paid Millions of Dollars for, in all cases, destroying what used to be GREAT Television.' JON STEWART, a longtime friend of Colbert, said on Monday during 'The Daily Show' that the ending of the show was 'the path of least resistance' for the network to get its proposed $8 billion merger with Skydance Media approved by a 'fragile and vengeful president.' Paramount has said the show's cancellation was 'purely a financial decision.' What We're Reading China behind vast global hack involving multiple US agencies (POLITICO's John Sakellariadis and Dana Nickel) Trump's WSJ Lawsuit Raises a New Constitutional Question (POLITICO's Ankush Khardori) The Hype Man of Trump's Mass Deportations (The Atlantic's Nick Miroff) Trump's Effort to Quash DC's NFL Team Has Some Lefties Celebrating (POLITICO's Michael Schaffer) POTUS PUZZLER ANSWER Former Presidents ANDREW JOHNSON and JAMES POLK, as well as Trump, are the three presidents to never own a pet while in office. Johnson, however, did reportedly strike up a relationship with some mice who resided in the White House.
Newsweek
06-06-2025
- Business
- Newsweek
Van Jones Says Trump Should Fire, Prosecute DOGE Staffers: If He's 'Smart'
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Van Jones, political analyst and former special adviser to ex-President Barack Obama, said that "if Donald Trump is smart," he would fire, investigate and prosecute employees of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) who worked under billionaire Elon Musk. Newsweek reached out to the White House via email for comment Thursday night. Why It Matters The public quarrel between Musk and Trump over the spending bill that Trump named the "big, beautiful bill" escalated on social media Thursday, drawing national attention to the high-stakes battle touching on issues of trust in public institutions, government funding and political polarization. The remarks arrived amid a broader public dispute involving Musk, DOGE and the Trump administration that has been taking place throughout the president's second term, with heightened scrutiny over DOGE's access to sensitive taxpayer information. What To Know While speaking with CNN's Anderson Cooper on Thursday, Jones said, "Those DOGE employees, the people that [David] Axelrod was just talking about, are very dangerous. If Donald Trump is smart, the first thing he's going to do is fire, investigate and prosecute all of Elon's people who are all throughout government with their laptops downloading data right now." "I don't think that what they're doing is legal," Jones said. "A lot of them don't have the proper clearances and I think that if you investigate, you'll find they've uploaded data into servers ... that are the wrong thing to do. So, I think there should definitely be an investigation there." DOGE's processes are not known to Newsweek at the time of publication. Jones added that in the short-term, Trump should go after DOGE, and long term, he should focus on the Republican Party in general as Musk holds hundreds of millions of dollars to potentially drop in close elections. Meanwhile, numerous DOGE-affiliated staffers at federal agencies resigned in protest after Musk's decision to slash government roles and entire programs. These resignations followed growing unease about DOGE's role in accessing sensitive government data, with critics warning of "potential security breaches" and advocates arguing for innovation and efficiency. DOGE's pursuit of access to IRS taxpayer data, in particular, further heightened concerns. There were growing fears that DOGE staff working within government agencies could potentially obtain information unrelated to their immediate operational needs, increasing risk for exposure or misuse of tax records. DOGE has also been embroiled in numerous lawsuits related to its pursuit of access to both public and government data. Van Jones poses for a portrait during the 85th Annual Peabody Awards at Beverly Wilshire, A Four Seasons Hotel, on June 1 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by) Van Jones poses for a portrait during the 85th Annual Peabody Awards at Beverly Wilshire, A Four Seasons Hotel, on June 1 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by) What People Are Saying Trump posted to Truth Social on Thursday: "I don't mind Elon turning against me, but he should have done so months ago. This is one of the Greatest Bills ever presented to Congress. It's a Record Cut in Expenses, $1.6 Trillion Dollars, and the Biggest Tax Cut ever given. If this Bill doesn't pass, there will be a 68% Tax Increase, and things far worse than that. I didn't create this mess, I'm just here to FIX IT. This puts our Country on a Path of Greatness. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!" Musk posted to X on Wednesday: "This spending bill contains the largest increase in the debt ceiling in US history! It is the Debt Slavery Bill." David Axelrod, former Obama adviser on CNN Thursday, when asked if Musk got played by Trump in part: "Well, I mean Trump is president and that's what he wanted. Musk has actually suffered financially as a result of this, and it could be worse if Trump really leans in. I mean he lost, Tesla lost 14 percent of its value today because of this exchange between Trump and Musk. So, I don't know if he got played." "But Donald Trump, like I said, he's not a sentimentalist. He uses people, he uses everybody. And I think he used ... Musk, but I think Musk used him as well." Axelrod went on to point out that Musk does wield his own power through X, his wealth and the following he has built for himself. What Happens Next Musk has left his position in Washington, D.C., leading DOGE as the initiative's future is immediately unclear. Meanwhile, Trump has handed down a deadline to Senate Republican leaders to get the spending bill passed and on his desk before July 4th.
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Business Standard
28-05-2025
- Business
- Business Standard
Elon Musk must face lawsuit over power as Trump's aide, says judge
Elon Musk will have to face a lawsuit that claims the billionaire wielded illegal power by orchestrating President Donald Trump's dramatic cuts in federal government jobs and spending, a judge ruled. US District Judge Tanya Chutkan on Tuesday denied a request by the Justice Department to toss the case filed by Democratic state attorneys general against Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency. But she dismissed a claim against Trump, saying courts can't limit the actions of a president performing his official duties. Chutkan ruled the states presented specific enough allegations and preliminary evidence to proceed with claims that Musk was granted the same authority as Trump's Senate-confirmed cabinet. While Musk has been the public face of DOGE, he's denied he holds a formal position or has any authority to direct agencies to carry out the president's cost-cutting agenda. Musk said last month he'll significantly scale back his DOGE work to be 'super focused' on his businesses, including Tesla Inc. and SpaceX. The judge found that the Trump administration had adopted a 'perverse reading' of the US Constitution's system of checks and balances and appeared 'to sanction unlimited executive power.' 'Under this reasoning, the President could authorize an individual to act as a Prime Minister who vetoes, amends, or adopts legislation enacted by Congress, as an Ultimate Justice who unilaterally overrules any decision by the Supreme Court, as a King who exercises preeminent authority over the entire nation, or allow a foreign leader to direct American armed forces,' Chutkan wrote. A White House spokesperson and representative of the New Mexico attorney general's office, which is leading the 14-state coalition that sued, did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Musk and his US DOGE Service have faced a slew of legal challenges since Trump took office in January. In addition to questioning the role of Musk and his DOGE-affiliated staff, some suits are seeking to block their access to agency systems and records that contain vast troves of Americans' financial and personal information. While rulings to deny motions to dismiss normally can't be appealed, the Justice Department could argue for an exception because the case presents significant questions about presidential power and interpreting the US Constitution. The lawsuit accuses Musk of violating the Constitution's Appointments Clause, which limits high-level decisions about US agency operations and personnel to officials who are nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate. The states argued Trump 'bypassed' Congress and 'unilaterally granted massive, unchecked executive authority to Elon Musk and DOGE to destabilise the government.' In court papers, the Democratic officials highlighted public statements Trump made about putting Musk in charge and Musk's comments appearing to take ownership of moves to shutter USAID and carry out a barrage of federal funding cuts, among other things. They argued that he wasn't simply making recommendations to Senate-confirmed agency heads, but rather was 'compelling' and 'directing' them to act or 'overruling' decisions they'd made. No 'Formal Power' In urging Chutkan to dismiss the case, Justice Department lawyers argued that even if they conceded Musk had 'massive' or even 'decisive' influence over US domestic policy, he didn't have the 'formal power to act.' As long as a Senate-confirmed official 'takes formal responsibility' for decisions that Musk recommended, there couldn't be a constitutional violation, the government said. Chutkan wrote that Musk's title of 'special government employee' might be his 'formal classification' but 'not necessarily the position he holds.' She said the government had unsuccessfully tried to 'minimize' Musk's role and that the states put forward enough evidence at this stage that he was directing the actions of DOGE-affiliated staff at 17 federal agencies. The government argued the states lacked standing to file the suit because they couldn't prove they faced imminent and concrete injuries from Musk and DOGE's efforts to carry out Trump's directive to identify waste, fraud and abuse at federal agencies. But Chutkan again concluded that the states put forward enough evidence for now that their government offices and public institutions were affected by cuts to federal funding and programs that they allege Musk spearheaded. The attorneys general also argued that DOGE staff 'created a substantial risk of cybersecurity breaches' by improperly getting access to 'sensitive' state data. Chutkan's decision comes after the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit in March paused her earlier ruling allowing the state attorneys general to demand records and information from Musk and the US DOGE Service. The appeals court had delayed that fight until Chutkan ruled on whether to let the case go forward. The case is New Mexico v. Musk, 25-cv-429, US District Court, District of Columbia (Washington).
Mint
28-05-2025
- Business
- Mint
Musk Must Face Suit Challenging Power as Trump Aide, Judge Says
Elon Musk will have to face a lawsuit that claims the billionaire is wielding illegal power by orchestrating President Donald Trump's dramatic cuts in federal government jobs and spending, a judge ruled. US District Judge Tanya Chutkan on Tuesday denied a request by the Justice Department to toss the case filed by Democratic state attorneys general against Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency. But she dismissed the case against Trump, saying courts can't limit the actions of a president performing his official duties. Chutkan ruled the states presented specific enough allegations and enough preliminary evidence to proceed with claims that Musk was granted the same authority as Trump's Senate-confirmed cabinet. While Musk has been the public face of DOGE, he's denied he holds a formal position or has any authority to direct agencies to carry out the president's cost-cutting agenda. Musk said last month he'll cut back significantly on his DOGE work to be 'super focused' on his businesses, including Tesla Inc. and SpaceX. Musk and his US DOGE Service have faced a slew of legal challenges since Trump took office in January. In addition to questioning the role of Musk and his DOGE-affiliated staff, some suits are seeking to block their access to agency systems and records that contain vast troves of Americans' financial and personal information. While rulings to deny motions to dismiss normally can't be appealed, the Justice Department could argue for an exception because the case presents significant questions about presidential power and interpreting the US Constitution. Chutkan's decision comes after the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit in March paused her earlier ruling allowing the state attorneys general to demand records and information from Musk and the US DOGE Service. The appeals court had delayed that fight until Chutkan ruled on whether to let the case go forward. The case is New Mexico v. Musk, 25-cv-429, US District Court, District of Columbia . This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
