A federal judge ruled this week that a lawsuit targeting Elon
Musk in the Department of Government Efficiency can move
forward. The lawsuit, filed by 14 states,
accuses Musk and Doge of violating the US Constitution by
making high level government decisions without proper
appointments or congressional approval.
US District Court Judge Tanya Chutgun rejected the White
House's attempt to dismiss the case, saying Musk's role appears
to be continuing and permanent. And the judge found the states
provided enough evidence to argue that Musk is making
decisions that would normally require Senate confirmed
authority. Now, the lawsuit argues that
Doge was never created or approved by Congress and that
Trump gave Musk sweeping power illegally.
The group has been cutting agencies, firing federal
workers, canceling contracts and gaining access to your sensitive
data, all without the legal authority then normally applies
to federal officials now. The White House claimed Musk
only served as an advisor with no real power.
That argument didn't hold up, though.
Public statements from Trump and administration officials have
consistently referred to Musk as the one leading doge.
Even Musk himself has repeatedly discussed the cuts and
structural changes he's directed.
Judge Chutkin wrote that Musk appears to control decisions
about government spending, federal contracts and the
survival of entire agencies. These responsibilities, she
said, are significant authority that can't be exercised without
formal appointment. And the court dismissed Trump as
a defendant But let all claims against Musk and DOGE stand.
Musk's federal role has already reshaped how parts of the
government operate. He's claimed that DOGE has saved
billions by eliminating waste and fraud, while watchdogs and
budget analysts say many of those savings are inflated or
unverified. Several federal programs report
disruption and increased cost due to Doge's actions.
Now, Musk has started retreating from DC, but he's venting about
his experience in interviews. Speaking to CBS Sunday Morning,
he said he was disappointed by the recently passed Big
Beautiful bill from House Republicans.
Musk criticized the bill for increasing the federal deficit
and undermining Doja's work, calling it both bloated and
counterproductive. And he told The Washington Post
that he underestimated how difficult it would be to work
inside the federal system. He said the federal bureaucracy
situation is much worse than I realized.
DOGE is just becoming the whipping boy for everything.
Now he's saying they often got blamed for issues that they
actually didn't cause. Musk also pointed out that
despite Doge's aggressive cost cutting, the White House has
only prepared a $9 billion rescission request to Congress.
That's just a small portion of the $2 trillion in savings that
Musk initially promised, and it suggests that many of Doge's
cuts may have not been legal without congressional approval.
Many of doge's most aggressive moves are now on hold.
A lawsuit brought by the states couldn't validate much of Doge's
work and place new limits on how presidents can delegate
authority to private individuals.
Meanwhile, Democrats are pointing to Musk's role as a
symbol of what they say is Trump's disregard for normal
legal procedures. And the court's next steps will
include gathering evidence and reviewing how much real power
Musk had and whether that power was legal.
If the court finds Musk's role unconstitutional, Doja's actions
could be rolled back and the case could reset how the
executive branch works with private figures moving forward.
The lawsuit questioning Elon Musk's federal authority is
moving forward, and the outcome could reshape how the government
appoints and delegates power.