As President Donald Trump celebrated his 100th day in office last week, Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) announced it had cut $160 billion in waste, fraud and abuse in the federal government.
Democrats have railed against DOGE’s mass layoffs as Republicans have celebrated its spending cuts. Since Trump signed an executive order establishing the agency on his Inauguration Day, Musk has faced pushback from laid-off government employees, disgruntled Democrats and judicial checks on his power.
Here are the top five DOGE disruptors during Trump’s first 100 days that challenged Musk’s ambitious goal of cutting trillions from the federal budget.
TOP 5 MOST OUTRAGEOUS WAYS GOVERNMENT HAS WASTED YOUR TAXES, AS UNCOVERED BY ELON MUSK’S DOGE
1. Designating DOGE
Since Trump’s second term began, his executive actions have faced legal challenges across the United States. DOGE has faced a slew of its own judicial setbacks since Trump signed his name on an executive order establishing the controversial department.
On Trump’s Inauguration Day, National Security Counselors Inc. sued the Trump administration to consider DOGE a federal advisory committee, not a federal agency. The designation would subject DOGE to further federal regulation.
Similarly, other organizations, including the American Public Health Association and Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, sued DOGE for violating the Federal Advisory Committee Act.
ELON MUSK LOOKS BACK ON 100 DAYS OF DOGE, PREVIEWS FUTURE OF THE ‘LONG-TERM ENTERPRISE’
2. Access restrictions
The Trump administration on Friday requested the Supreme Court grant DOGE access to sensitive personal information held by the Social Security Administration.
Last month, a federal judge issued a preliminary injunction restricting DOGE from accessing Social Security data, including limiting access to certain data and requiring staff training to access sensitive information.
Musk and DOGE were sued for violating the Privacy Act in February by six individuals who accused the agency of gaining unauthorized access to personal and financial data.
Meanwhile, the Government Accountability Office and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) have led their own investigations into DOGE’s access to data security.
3. State and stakeholder setbacks
Led by New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez, 14 state attorneys general sued DOGE in February, contesting Musk and DOGE’s authority to dismantle federal agencies like the United States Agency for International Development and the CFPB.
Unions representing federal employees also sued DOGE for violating civil service protections following buyout offers for more than 2 million government workers.
4. Anti-DOGE protesters
Anti-DOGE protests have erupted across the country since Trump returned to office this year. Instead of focusing on just Trump and his executive orders, protesters have spoken vocally against Musk’s power in the federal government.
While protesters in Washington, D.C., have rejected mass layoffs in the federal workforce and the dismantling of federal programs, Americans have also criticized Musk’s growing influence, referring to him as “President Musk” and hosting “No Kings in America” protests to proclaim that the American people did not vote for Musk.
Protesters also began targeting Tesla, where Musk is CEO, in a string of violent attacks designated by the Trump administration as “domestic terrorism.”
5. 130-day deadline
As a “special government employee,” Musk is permitted to work in the federal government for no more than 130 days a year, which in Musk’s case will fall on May 30.
He has already started paring back his hours leading the controversial agency.
With Musk’s leadership at DOGE coming to an end, House Republicans are preparing to continue cutting government waste.
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