Latest news with #governmenttransparency
BBC News
28-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
Isle of man ministers to hold roadshow to gather public views
Government ministers are set to face the public in a series of regional meetings starting next events, featuring members of the Isle of Man Council of Ministers, will be held at state-run secondary schools in Ramsey, Castletown, Douglas and Peel from 30 June to 3 Listening to You roadshow follows a series of similar workshops held in April Minister Alfred Cannan said it was "crucial" for ministers to "meet and engage with the public on issues that impact everyday lives". He said there was "real value in making sure politicians are accessible to the public" and the conversations meant ministers could understand any "concerns and priorities at first hand".The meetings would help government ministers make "informed decisions" that reflect the needs of the population, he said. The meetings are set to include a welcome and speech by the chief minister, followed by time for one-to-one conversations with ministers before politicians answer questions from the said it was "crucial" for politicians to listen to the public but was "equally important for the public to meet ministers to ask questions and receive a reply in the moment, in person". He said the sessions were designed to "foster transparency and trust in government" and would allow government's wider aims to be shared "to ensure that policies are aligned with the interests of people in the Isle of Man". 'Meaningful conversations' Encouraged young people to join the events he said: "By participating, you can be part of meaningful conversations and help to influence the decisions that shape our community."The meetings will be held on consecutive nights starting at Ramsey Grammar School in Ramsey on 30 June, followed by Ballakermeen High School in Douglas, Castle Rushen High School in Castletown and ending at Queen Elizabeth II High School in Peel on 3 July. Read more stories from the Isle of Man on the BBC, watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer and follow BBC Isle of Man on Facebook and X.
Bloomberg
23-05-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
Supreme Court Temporarily Halts Order to Produce DOGE Records
The US Supreme Court temporarily blocked a lower court order that would force Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency to turn over documents to a watchdog group and make a top official available to testify in a fight over whether the office is covered by US public records laws. The order on Friday is a preliminary win for the Trump administration. Without explanation, Chief Justice John Roberts granted the government's request for an administrative stay while the justices decide whether to adopt a longer-term pause. The order means US officials for now will avoid fast-approaching deadlines requiring them to disclose information about who works for DOGE and what the office has been up to since President Donald Trump created it hours after his Jan. 20 inauguration.
Reuters
21-05-2025
- Business
- Reuters
White House asks US Supreme Court to block access to DOGE records
May 21 (Reuters) - The Trump administration on Wednesday asked the U.S. Supreme Court to set aside a judge's order requiring Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency to answer questions and disclose documents about its operations. U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper in Washington, D.C. ordered DOGE to turn over some records to the watchdog Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), after finding that DOGE was likely a government agency covered by the federal Freedom of Information Act. Cooper also said CREW was entitled to question DOGE's Acting Administrator Amy Gleason at a deposition. A federal appeals court declined on May 14 to put Cooper's order on hold. President Donald Trump created DOGE in an executive order on January 20, the day he began his second White House term. In seeking an emergency stay from the Supreme Court, Solicitor General John Sauer said Cooper's "extraordinarily overbroad and intrusive" order would distract DOGE from its mission to eliminate fraud, waste and abuse in the federal government. He also called the order "an untenable affront to separation of powers," and said the government would likely succeed in showing that DOGE is a White House body exempt from FOIA, which lets the public review government records. "This Court has rejected similar fishing expeditions into sensitive executive-branch functions, and it should not allow this one to proceed," Sauer wrote. The case is In re US DOGE Service et al, U.S. Supreme Court, No. 24A1122.
CBS News
21-05-2025
- Business
- CBS News
Trump administration asks Supreme Court to block effort to get information on DOGE
Washington — The Trump administration on Wednesday asked the Supreme Court to halt a lower court order that required the White House's Department of Government Efficiency to turn over information to a government watchdog group in a lawsuit that tests whether the task force is subject to the Freedom of Information Act. The request from Solicitor General D. John Sauer arose out of a public records request made by the group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington that sought information about DOGE, its operations and personnel. The watchdog group went on to file a federal lawsuit based on that FOIA request, and, as part of the suit, sought categories of information through the discovery process about DOGE's activities since President Trump took office. Among the information CREW is seeking is a deposition with Amy Gleason, who the White House has said is the acting administrator of DOGE; a list of federal contracts or grants that DOGE personnel recommended for cancellation; and the names of all current and former DOGE employees, as well as details of their employment and who oversees them. The district court granted most of CREW's request for information, including to depose Gleason. U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper found that DOGE is likely subject to FOIA and said that the task force's actions demonstrate that it has "substantial authority over vast swathes of the federal government." "Canceling any government contract would seem to require substantial authority — and canceling them on this scale certainly does. Again, USDS reportedly is leading the charge on these actions, not merely advising others to carry them out," Cooper wrote in a March decision. He noted that DOGE likely has some independent authority to terminate federal employees, programs and contracts. "Doing any of those three things would appear to require substantial independent authority; to do all three surely does," Cooper said. The Trump administration asked the federal appeals court in Washington to halt the order, which it agreed to do temporarily. Then, last week, a panel of judges on the appeals court lifted its stay, which clears the way for DOGE to hand over the documents sought by CREW. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit said that the discovery ordered by the district court is "narrow" and appropriate. DOGE now has until June 3 to turn over documents, and Gleason's deposition must be completed by June 13. The dispute over the efforts to learn more about DOGE, its work and employees turns on whether the task force is subject to FOIA, the federal law that allows members of the public to request access to records and information from federal agencies. FOIA does not apply to Congress, the federal courts and entities within the Executive Office of the President. In the emergency appeal with the Supreme Court, Sauer argued that DOGE is a presidential advisory body housed within the Executive Office of the President tasked with providing recommendations to Mr. Trump and federal agencies on policy matters that are important to the president's agenda. Sauer said that as a result of those functions, DOGE is exempt from FOIA. Sauer claimed that the district court's order requiring DOGE to hand over information through the discovery process to determine if it is covered by FOIA turns the public records law "on its head" and violates the separation of powers by subjecting it to "intrusive discovery." He warned that if it is allowed to stand, several components of the White House like the offices of the chief of staff, national security adviser, and other advisers to the president would be subject to FOIA. "That untenable result would compromise the provision of candid, confidential advice to the president and disrupt the inner workings of the Executive Branch," Sauer wrote. "Yet, in the decisions below, the court of appeals and district court treated a presidential advisory body as a potential 'agency' based on the persuasive force of its recommendations — threatening opening season for FOIA requests on the president's advisors." Mr. Trump established DOGE when he returned White House as part of an effort to shrink the size of the federal government. The president has repeatedly said that Elon Musk is the head of DOGE, though Justice Department lawyers have said in court filings that he is not an employee of the entity and "has no actual or formal authority to make government decisions himself." Questions about Musk's role with DOGE eventually led the White House to declare Gleason as its acting administrator. Gleason worked as a senior adviser to the U.S. Digital Service, the precursor to DOGE. Still, since its establishment, DOGE employees have fanned out across federal agencies to implement cost-cutting measures and were behind steep reductions in the federal workforce, as well as the dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development. Many of DOGE's efforts, as well as Musk's role within the task force have been subject to legal challenges. The Supreme Court is currently weighing an emergency appeal involving DOGE's attempts to gain access to sensitive information kept by the Social Security Administration and was asked to intervene in a legal battle over reductions in force at 21 agencies.
Associated Press
21-05-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Trump administration asks Supreme Court to block watchdog access to DOGE documents
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration on Wednesday asked the Supreme Court to block court orders requiring Elon Musk 's Department of Government Efficiency to turn over documents about its operations to a government watchdog group. The Justice Department's latest emergency appeal to the high court concerns whether DOGE, which has been central to President Donald Trump's push to remake the government, is a federal agency that is subject to the Freedom of Information Act. The administration argues DOGE is merely a presidential advisory body that is exempt from requests for documents under FOIA. The administration wants the justices to freeze orders that would force DOGE to turn over documents to Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington and have acting DOGE administrator Amy Gleason answer questions under oath within the next three weeks. CREW sued in February, claiming that DOGE 'wields shockingly broad power' with no transparency about its actions. In March, U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper found that DOGE's role is likely more than just advisory, noting its claims in helping to shutter USAID and cut billions of dollars in government contracts. 'Canceling any government contract would seem to require substantial authority — and canceling them on this scale certainly does,' Cooper wrote. DOGE 'likely has at least some independent authority to identify and terminate federal employees, federal programs, and federal contracts.' A panel of the federal appeals court in Washington initially put Cooper's order on hold, but a different panel later reinstated the order. Cooper has since set deadlines for the administration to comply by June 13. Solicitor General D. John Sauer urged the justices to act quickly, calling Cooper's orders 'extraordinarily overbroad and intrusive.' The case is the latest in a string of emergency appeals has taken to the Supreme Court after lower courts have blocked parts of Trump's agenda.
