Elon Musk's DOGE Sued by 14 States

Fourteen states are suing Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) for spreading "chaos and confusion" in the United States.

Why It Matters

The lawsuit has been filed by New Mexico, Arizona, Michigan, California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington.

Unlike other legal action taken against DOGE this month, the lawsuit seeks to tackle DOGE as an entity rather than focus on individual cuts it has made to specific agencies or government departments.

Newsweek reached out to DOGE and Elon Musk via email for comment on Friday.

What To Know

President Donald Trump appointed tech billionaire Elon Musk to direct DOGE, a department tasked with shrinking the size of the federal government. Musk has said he wants to cut up to $2 trillion annually from the federal budget, and, with the Trump administration, DOGE has cut thousands of federal jobs already. DOGE has recently faced widespread criticism for its ability to access sensitive documents.

On February 14, attorneys general from 14 states filed a lawsuit in a Washington, D.C., federal court, arguing that Musk was illegally appointed and calling for the court to stop DOGE's drastic cuts across the federal government.

The lawsuit states that DOGE has spread "chaos and confusion" across the U.S. and describes Musk as "an agent of chaos."

What Does The Lawsuit Say?

The lawsuit, submitted by New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez, compares Musk's role to that of the former British colonial rulers of America.

"There is no greater threat to democracy than the accumulation of state power in the hands of a single, unelected individual.

"Although our constitutional system was designed to prevent the abuses of an 18th century monarch, the instruments of unchecked power are no less dangerous in the hands of a 21st century tech baron," it states.

The lawsuit argued that Musk's power remains unchecked.

"In recent weeks, Defendant Elon Musk, with President Donald J. Trump's approval, has roamed through the federal government unraveling agencies, accessing sensitive data, and causing mass chaos and confusion for state and local governments, federal employees, and the American people.

"Oblivious to the threat this poses to the nation, President Trump has delegated virtually unchecked authority to Mr. Musk without proper legal authorization from Congress and without meaningful supervision of his activities.

"As a result, he has transformed a minor position that was formerly responsible for managing government websites into a designated agent of chaos without limitation and in violation of the separation of powers," the lawsuit said.

What Happens Next

A judge will have to be assigned to the case and the Trump administration will be given an opportunity to respond. The judge will then decide whether to impose a temporary injunction on DOGE and hold a full hearing to consider the facts of the case.

Several other federal judges have imposed temporary injunctions on DOGE's budget cuts to several agencies but have yet to hold a full hearing on those cases.