Legal/Law/Criminal Justice and Reform

Left Begins Attacks On Trump Within Minutes Of His Swearing-In

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A host of liberal organizations filed a lawsuit targeting the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) almost immediately after President Donald Trump took the oath of office on Monday.

Public Citizen, State Democracy Defenders Fund and the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) filed a lawsuit targeting DOGE on Monday afternoon, just moments after Trump concluded his swearing-in ceremony in the nation’s capital. The Center for Biological Diversity and a nonprofit public interest group called National Security Counselors also brought their own lawsuits against DOGE on Monday afternoon.

The lawsuits generally allege that DOGE has run afoul of the Federal Advisory Committee Act, which sets rules for advisory committees like requiring a balance of viewpoints among members and meeting minutes. The Center for Biological Diversity, meanwhile, is suing to obtain records that could show communication between DOGE and the Trump White House during the presidential transition process.

The groups targeting DOGE with litigation focus on a variety of interests. The Center for Biological Diversity is a major green group, while the State Democracy Defenders Fund works to counter Republican-led voting reforms. Public Citizen advocates for an array of left-of-center policies and causes, and the AFGE — considered by some to be corrupt — is a major public sector labor union that represents hundreds of thousands of workers.

Trump deputized Tesla CEO Elon Musk and fellow billionaire Vivek Ramaswamy to lead DOGE and shrink the size and scope of government, an initiative that has proven to be popular so far with congressional Republicans. Among other possible targets and policies, DOGE is likely to look to rein in remote work for federal employees and shrink the massive federal workforce.

“AFGE will not stand idly by as a secretive group of ultra-wealthy individuals with major conflicts of interest attempt to deregulate themselves and give their own companies sweetheart government contracts while firing civil servants and dismantling the institutions designed to serve the American people,” AFGE National President Everett Kelley said in a statement. “This fight is about fairness, accountability, and the integrity of our government. Federal employees are not the problem—they are the solution. They deserve to have their voices heard in decisions that affect their work, their agencies, and the public they serve.”

A spokesperson for the Center for Biological Diversity told the Daily Caller News Foundation that it did not coordinate with any other organizations in its lawsuit targeting DOGE.

Public Citizen, State Democracy Defenders Fund and the AFGE did not respond immediately to requests for comment.