One federal judge has ordered Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to release information that has been kept in 'unusual secrecy' for a federal agency, despite efforts from Trump's administration to push back.
Being a completely new federal department ran by an unelected non-government employee, it's no surprise that much of how the Department of Government Efficiency is actually being operated is under question.
Elon Musk in particular was landed with multiple lawsuits mere moments after President Trump was sworn in at his inauguration, questioning the legal status of the department and his position in relation to ethics considerations.
However, as reported by Reuters, a new lawsuit brought forward by government watchdog Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics has been confirmed by US District Judge Christopher Cooper, finding that DOGE is now subject to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).
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Previously the Trump administration claimed that DOGE was exempt from FOIA requests due to being an arm of the Executive Office of the President, but Judge Cooper has affirmed that in exercising "substantial independent authority," Musk's agency does not receive these FOIA protections.
DOGE has arguably been the most dominant part of President Trump's return to office, pioneering his push for bureaucracy downsizing and mass spending cuts.
Musk and his agency have been criticized for 'accidentally' firing important employees who have since been rehired, as cost-cutting measures have been employed across key departments such as Education, Labor, Health, and Energy - the latter of which even threatened national security.
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Recent comments made by President Trump also appear to establish the power and authority that DOGE has in his administration, indicating that while cabinet members can initially dictate cuts in their respective departments, Musk will be there afterwards to 'do the cutting' if things aren't slashed enough.
Judge Cooper outlined that DOGE "appears to have the power not just to evaluate federal programs, but to drastically reshape and even eliminate them wholesale," which has been seen after the Department reduced key agencies to a single employee, which is the legal minimum.
"Operations thus have been been marked by unusual secrecy," Cooper also indicated, pointing towards the use of outside servers and encrypted messaging apps like Signal, alongside reports that employees refused to identify themselves to career officials.
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Experts have also pointed towards the secrecy of DOGE's overall savings claims, expressing doubts concerning the veracity of the agency's significant financial reports.
While Cooper has denied requests to set a deadline on the release of the requested information, he has ordered that they be released 'on an expedited basis' in order to provide both the government and the American public transparency on how it is really operating considering the authority it currently holds.