Fourteen Democratic state attorneys general sued Elon Musk and President Donald Trump on Thursday to challenge what they called the “unlawful delegation of executive power” granted to Musk and his cost-cutting initiative, the so-called department of govt efficiency (DOGE).
The lawsuit came on the same day that Musk and his team were sued by a group of govt employees represented by the State Democracy Defenders Fund, a nonprofit watchdog. The coalition argued that Musk’s attempts to dismantle agencies, stop the payment of congressionally approved funds and have access to sensitive govt data exceeded his authority.
DOGE, which is not an official department but an entity housed within the executive office of the president, has already faced numerous legal challenges over its attempts to overhaul govt agencies and cut spending. Since Trump’s inauguration, Musk’s team has inserted itself into at least 19 agencies, according to a tally by the New York Times.
The White House and representatives of Musk did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The 14 states argued that Trump had violated the appointments clause of the Constitution by granting sweeping powers to Musk, who has “transformed a minor position that was formerly responsible for managing govt websites into a designated agent of chaos without limitation,” according to the complaint, which was filed in the US district court for the District of Columbia.
“Mr Musk’s seemingly limitless and unchecked power to strip the govt of its work force and eliminate entire departments with the stroke of a pen or click of a mouse would have been shocking to those who won this country’s independence,” the complaint reads. “The sweeping authority now vested in a single unelected and unconfirmed individual is antithetical to the nation’s entire constitutional structure.”
The states also asserted that Musk’s actions could harm their residents by disrupting billions of dollars in federal funding for critical services like law enforcement, education and health care. They argued that, for instance, Musk’s desire to dismantle the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau could require states to invest far more resources and personnel to “protect their citizens.”
The suit was filed by the attorneys general in New Mexico, Arizona, Michigan, California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington, Vermont.
