A federal judge has denied a 'final' request to block Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) from accessing government data amid cost-cutting auditing efforts.
Despite not being an official government department, DOGE - spearheaded by Musk, the richest man in the world - has been tasked with drastically reducing the federal workforce and cutting any US tax spending that seems unnecessary.
Over the last few weeks, the advisory body has vowed to minimize the US national debt, which stands at $36tn.
It has also terminated various federal contracts, canceled Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs, and implemented sweeping cuts at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
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Various Democratic states have rallied together to hamper these cost-cutting efforts, appealing for a temporary restraining order to be put in place.
The lawsuit, brought to Congress, sought to bar DOGE from accessing information systems or firing employees in various government departments, such as Energy, Transportation and Commerce.
The states also wanted those working in Labor, Office of Personnel Management, Health and Human Services and Education to be marked safe from a potential cull.
Other DOGE acts cited in the suit include ‘accessing sensitive and confidential agency data’ as well as cancelling federal contracts.
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However, U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan claimed on Tuesday (February 18) that the ‘possibility’ that DOGE could harm the country through accessing data systems or making decisions regarding personnel was ‘not enough’ to halt its activities.
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“The court is aware that DOGE’s unpredictable actions have resulted in considerable uncertainty and confusion for Plaintiffs and many of their agencies and residents,” Chutkan wrote, as per NBC News.
“Plaintiffs legitimately call into question what appears to be the unchecked authority of an unelected individual and an entity that was not created by Congress and over which it has no oversight.
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“In these circumstances, it must be indisputable that this court acts within the bounds of its authority. Accordingly, it cannot issue a TRO, especially one as wide-ranging as Plaintiffs request, without clear evidence of imminent, irreparable harm to these Plaintiffs.”
Chutkan noted that the Plaintiffs - led by New Mexico - had not met the ‘high standard for irreparable injury’ and that the states had not shown why they were entitled to an immediate restraining order, as per Reuters.
“The court is aware that DOGE’s unpredictable actions have resulted in considerable uncertainty and confusion for Plaintiffs and many of their agencies and residents,” she continued.
“When litigants have identified specific individuals or programs imminently targeted by Defendants, courts have issued appropriately tailored [temporary restraining orders].”
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Following the ruling, New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez said that he will pursue litigation against Musk and DOGE for ‘as long as it takes to bring this chaos to an end’.
The New York Post reports that Torrez claimed that although he was ‘disappointed’ that the court had failed to issue a temporary restraining order, he will continue rallying for Musk’s ‘unlawful power grab’ to cease.
“Every day that he is allowed to operate without a congressional mandate and with little apparent supervision, Musk is destabilizing our government and disrupting critical funding for education, public health and national security,” the specialist continued.
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“His move fast and break things mentality is not only reckless, but also unconstitutional, and we are prepared to pursue this case for as long as it takes to bring this chaos to an end.”
Following the 'final attempt to stop' Musk, Chutkan has asked that the Democratic states proposing the block file a proposed briefing schedule by 5pm today (February 19) if they intend to move for a preliminary injunction.
Topics: Politics, Elon Musk, US News, Donald Trump
Elon Musk has addressed concerns he's 'orchestrating a hostile takeover of government' in a 'non-transparent' way and how he'll 'police' himself.
Before being sworn in as the 47th President of the United States, Donald Trump announced he would be appointing Elon Musk as head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) with Musk responding saying he would send 'shockwaves' through the system.
Trump announced Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy would be heading up the department in November 2024.
He said: "Together, these two wonderful Americans will pave the way for my Administration to dismantle Government Bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure Federal Agencies - Essential to the 'Save America' Movement.
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"I look forward to Elon and Vivek making changes to the Federal Bureaucracy with an eye on efficiency and, at the same time, making life better for all Americans."
Musk responded: "This will send shockwaves through the system, and anyone involved in Government waste, which is a lot of people!"
After Trump was sworn in, it took little time for Musk's new role to be officially clarified by the White House, with the Tesla CEO being granted access to sensitive government financial databases - which were later blocked by a federal judge.
And during a visit to the White House yesterday (February 11) for an executive signing in the Oval Office accompanied by his son X Æ A-Xii - X, for short - Musk addressed the question whether he's 'orchestrating a hostile takeover of government and doing it in a non-transparent way'.
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Musk responded: "First of all, you couldn't ask for a stronger mandate from the public. [...] A majority of the public voting for President Trump, one house.
He continued: "The people voted for major government reform - there should be no doubt about that, that was on the government campaign, the president spoke about that at every rally, the people voted for major government reform and that's what the people are going to get, they're going to get what they voted for.
"And a lot of times, people don't get what they voted for, but in this presidency, they are going to get what they voted for and that's what democracy's all about."
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Elsewhere in the press conference, Musk argued they're 'trying to be as transparent as possible' and 'post [their] actions to the DOGE handle, on X and to the DOGE website'.
He said: "So all of our actions are maximally transparent."
When asked about if a 'conflict of interest' comes up and whether Musk 'polices himself,' he resolved: "All of our actions are fully public so if you see anything which seems like there's a conflict there, I don't think people are going to be shy about saying that.
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"[...] Transparency builds trust. [...] So then you can see if I'm doing something that benefits one of my companies or not."
Topics: Elon Musk, Politics, US News, Donald Trump, Business, Technology
A federal judge has blocked President Donald Trump's order to end a birthright citizenship across the US.
Donald Trump returned to the Oval Office just over two weeks ago, and he's certainly wasted no time in getting his policies across and into writing.
The 47th POTUS has signed off on numerous executive orders, which included halting the ban of TikTok, changing laws on immigration, and declaring that there are 'only two genders'.
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And over the past few days, we've even got the threat of a trade war and the creation of the very first US wealth fund.
Another one of Trump's executive orders aimed at ending birthright citizenship, though a federal judge in Maryland has since issued a nationwide preliminary injunction against it.
On Wednesday (February 5), District Judge Deborah Boardman heard arguments from five women hoping to block Trump's executive order, and the judge has sided with them.
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"The denial of the precious right to citizenship will cause irreparable harm," Judge Boardman as she handed down her order.
"It has been said the right to U.S. citizenship is a right no less precious than life or liberty. If the court does not enjoin enforcement of the executive order, children subject to the order will be denied the rights and benefits of US citizenship and their parents will face instability."
The judge added: "A nationwide injunction is appropriate and necessary because it concerns citizenship."
In her ruling delivered on Wednesday (February 5), the judge concluded Trump's executive order "conflicts with the plain language of the 14th Amendment."
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"The U.S. Supreme court has resoundingly rejected the president's interpretation of the citizenship clause," Judge Boardman added.
"In fact, no court has endorsed the president's interpretation, and this court will not be the first."
Meanwhile, the plaintiffs' attorney Joseph Mead added: "The executive order's departure from settled law is so abrupt ... it is such a departure from what we've been doing for over a century. Being a citizen is the foundation for so many rights."
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While the Department of Justice argued for the executive order to make its way through into law.
"Text, history, and precedent support what common sense compels: the Constitution does not harbor a windfall clause granting American citizenship to, inter alia: the children of those who have circumvented (or outright defied) federal immigration laws," they argued, as per ABC News.
Before today's ruling, Trump's executive order had already been put on hold by US District Judge John Coughenour in Seattle.
Topics: Donald Trump, US News, Politics
Donald Trump explained he was 'searching for somebody smarter' to collaborate with him during his time in the White House before he 'settled' on the world's richest man, Elon Musk.
The POTUS made his admission during an interview with Fox News this week, when he was joined by Musk after it was revealed he had chosen the SpaceX CEO to work on the 'department of government efficiency' - otherwise known as DOGE.
Trump announced at the time that Musk would work from outside the government to offer 'advice and guidance', and 'pave the way for [his] administration to dismantle government bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure federal agencies'.
Now, Trump has opened up about how Musk came to land the role - and admitted he was looking for other candidates first.
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During their interview with Fox, host Sean Hannity pointed out that Trump 'might not like' the fact that Musk is richer than him.
Trump quipped back by saying that was 'why [he] became president', before going on to talk about how he came to hire Musk.
He said: "He's great, you know I wanted to find somebody smarter than him. I searched all over, I just couldn't do it. I couldn't find anyone smarter so we had - for the country. So we settled on this guy."
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Accepting Trump's backhanded compliment, Musk responded: "Well thanks for having me. I'm just trying to be useful here."
Trump's admission comes as a court filing from the White House stated this week that Musk 'has no actual or formal authority to make government decisions himself'.
In the declaration, filed by Joshua Fisher, the director of the White House’s Office of Administration, Musk's title was listed as 'senior adviser to the president', Politico reports.
Earlier in the interview, Trump explained he wanted somebody 'really smart' to work with 'in terms of the country'.
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"He doesn't talk about it - he's actually a very good businessman," Trump said of Musk, before suggesting that Musk helps ensure Trump's executive orders get carried out.
Trump explained: "This is probably true for all presidents, you write an executive order and you think it's done. You send it out, it doesn't get done, it doesn't get implemented [...] what he does and he takes it, and with his 100 geniuses [...] he gets it done."
After Hannity questioned whether Musk was essentially Trump's 'tech support', Trump then responded: "He's much more than that."
Topics: Elon Musk, Donald Trump, Politics, Business, Technology
Donald Trump has announced plans to stop minting 'wasteful' pennies as he continues his plan to slash spending in the US.
Today marks exactly three weeks since President Trump returned to the Oval Office for a second term, and he's introduced a number of changes in that short space of time.
The Republican president has signed off on many orders - which have included halting the ban of TikTok, and declaring that there are 'only two genders' among others.
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Meanwhile, he's also renamed the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, and set up the very first US wealth fund.
Now, Trump has announced plans for the US Treasury to stop producing pennies, forming part of his plan to cut spend.
The POTUS claimed minting pennies is 'wasteful' and that they cost more than their value to make.
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Taking to Truth Social, the 47th POTUS said: "For far too long the United States has minted pennies which literally cost us more than 2 cents.
"This is so wasteful! I have instructed my Secretary of the US Treasury to stop producing new pennies. Let's rip the waste out of our great nations budget, even if it's a penny at a time."
The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), the governmental department headed up by Elon Musk, has previously stated minting pennies is costing American taxpayers tens of millions of dollars.
DOGE is a temporary organization set up by Trump that aims to 'dismantle Government Bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure Federal Agencies'.
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The president shared the news of its creation in November last year and named Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy as the two people that would lead it.
It's since been reported that the Treasury Secretary, Scott Bessent, agreed to allow a team who works under DOGE to oversee the Treasury's payment system, which is charge of distributing things like Americans’ tax returns, Social Security benefits, disability payments and federal employees’ salaries.
It's believed these team members in question have been able to access the critical payment system since Trump's inauguration on January 20, but a federal judge recently halted this.
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US District Judge Paul Engelmayer issued the order in question, which also tells DOGE members to destroy any downloaded information from the payment system, CNN reports.
A hearing on the matter is scheduled for February 14.
Topics: Donald Trump, Elon Musk, US News, Politics, Money
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