AFGE, Consumer Advocates & Democracy Watchdog Group Sue Trump Administration Over DOGE

Public Citizen, State Democracy Defenders Fund (SDDF), and the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) filed a lawsuit this week to ensure that the so-called “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE) complies with the requirements of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA).

Despite the name, DOGE is not a department of the United States government. The lawsuit, which names President Trump and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) as defendants, charges that they are violating FACA, including because DOGE’s members do not have a fair balance of viewpoints, meetings are held in secret and without public notice, and records and work product are not available to the public.

The advice and guidance that Mr. Trump has charged DOGE with producing is sweeping and consequential. DOGE—the members of which currently do not represent the interests of everyday Americans—will be considering cuts to government agencies and programs that protect health, benefits, consumer finance, and product safety. Its work and recommendations thus may endanger plaintiffs and the hundreds of thousands of everyday people whom they represent.

“AFGE will not stand idly by as a secretive group of ultra-wealthy individuals with major conflicts of interest attempt to deregulate themselves and give their own companies sweetheart government contracts while firing civil servants and dismantling the institutions designed to serve the American people,” said AFGE National President Everett Kelley. “This fight is about fairness, accountability, and the integrity of our government. Federal employees are not the problem—they are the solution. They deserve to have their voices heard in decisions that affect their work, their agencies, and the public they serve”

Each of the three organizations, Public Citizen, SDDF and AFGE, previously sent a letter to Trump transition co-chairs Howard Lutnick and Linda McMahon regarding their concerns about the failure to comply with FACA and requesting representation on the advisory group to ensure that it met FACA requirements. A Trump transition spokesperson rejected SDDF’s request, stating that “we have no room in our administration for Democrats.” Public Citizen and AFGE have yet to receive responses.