FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Media Relations
The American Public Health Association, the American Federation of Teachers, Minority Veterans of America, VoteVets Action Fund, Center for Auto Safety, and CREW, Represented by Democracy Forward and CREW, File Suit Against DOGE To Compel Transparency
At 12:01pm on Inauguration Day, a coalition of veterans, public health professionals, teachers, consumer advocates, and watchdogs filed a federal lawsuit challenging the secret operation of the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) under the Federal Advisory Committee Act. The suit was filed by the American Public Health Association, American Federation of Teachers, Minority Veterans of America, VoteVets Action Fund, Center for Auto Safety, Inc., and Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), represented by Democracy Forward and CREW.
The plaintiffs represent a wide range of people and communities that count on the federal government for services and programs, from protecting our national and domestic security, to responding to emergencies, to caring for veterans injured in combat, and much more. The suit challenges DOGE’s operating without complying with federal transparency laws that require that the American people have information regarding the activities of any private commission.
“Plaintiffs and those they represent believe that the government should work for the American people and be transparent, efficient, and effective – and that the government can and should do better,” the suit, filed in US District Court for the District of Columbia, states. Yet, the creation and secret operation of DOGE does not accomplish these goals, the suit alleges.
According to the Complaint, “The “Department” of Government Efficiency is not a federal department. Elected representatives in Congress have not established nor have they funded such an enterprise. DOGE is, instead, a shadow operation led by unelected billionaires who stand to reap huge financial rewards from this influence and access. Despite these conflicts of interest, DOGE is slated to dictate federal policy in ways that will affect millions of Americans, including those communities that Plaintiffs represent. It is doing so under the shroud of secrecy with none of the transparency, oversight, or opportunity for public participation the law requires.”
The suit seeks a court order blocking the operation of DOGE until it comes into compliance with the law.
“Government should work for the American people and be transparent, efficient, and effective — at a time when the American people’s trust in our nation’s institutions is low, allowing unelected billionaires to run roughshod over essential services without being transparent about their operations does not achieve the efficiency the American people want to see from their government and only threatens to further undermine the public’s trust,” said Skye Perryman, CEO of Democracy Forward, a national legal organization, which is serving as counsel to Plaintiffs. “The question every American should be asking is ‘What are they hiding?’ DOGE must not be allowed to operate in the shadows without the transparency, oversight, and opportunity for public participation required of any federal department by the law.”
“Americans deserve to know their government is functioning fairly, transparently and without undue influence from Donald Trump’s billionaire friends or other special interests,” said Noah Bookbinder, President and CEO, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, which is serving as a plaintiff and counsel in the case. “Right now, the so-called Department of Government Efficiency is operating unchecked, without participation from representatives of everyday Americans, and without following any of the transparency, records retention or ethics rules that federal agencies or advisory bodies must follow. That cannot continue, and we’re bringing this case to pull DOGE into the light, so the public has the ability to hold it accountable for the sweeping changes its unelected and unaccountable leaders plan to make.”
Statements from the Plaintiffs To The Suit
“The nation’s health needs serious attention and federal agencies play an important leadership, funding and programmatic role in advancing our health,” said Georges C. Benjamin, MD, Executive Director of the American Public Health Association. “Any assessment of the federal contribution must be done with full transparency and under the legal authority required by the Federal Advisory Committee Act. This will ensure that the interest of the public is preserved and not to the inappropriate benefit of any special interest.”
“We are all for being more efficient, but Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy as co-leaders of DOGE have other goals in mind. Though no one voted for them, the two Trump campaign donors are crafting radical plans for what they describe as ‘mass head-count reductions’ and a ‘drastic’ dismantling of federal rules they dislike or that inconvenience them, all in violation of transparency requirements under the Federal Advisory Committee Act. Their secret schemes to remake the government in a way that suits them disregards not only democracy but the law, along with the disastrous impact their decisions will have on the lives of millions of working people, including our members, who rely on government services and support for their health, safety and livelihood,” said Randi Weingarten, President of the American Federation of Teachers. “FACA exists so that unelected billionaires and their businessman sidekicks can’t turn the federal government upside down, working behind closed doors with no oversight, accountability or input from people who have the most at stake. DOGE must be ordered to come out of the shadows and comply with the law before the sweeping, self-serving plans of billionaires upend the federal government and cause irreparable damage in the lives of working people.”
“Veterans deserve the highest quality care and support from VA and other federal programs. Their health should not be subject to the whims of rogue, self-serving billionaires making decisions in their own interest,” said Peter E. Perkowski, Legal & Policy Director at the Minority Veterans of America. “The actions of this shadow committee require rigorous oversight, accountability, and opportunity for public participation from any federal department making decisions over the benefits and services available to veterans, which is why it’s critical we hold DOGE accountable for its current lack of transparency and legitimacy.”
“The VA, like any large bureaucracy, stands ready to be reformed and improved. People with no experience using the VA making changes in smoke filled backrooms is not the way to make the VA better,” said VoteVets Senior Advisor Major General (Ret.) Paul Eaton. “If the new administration is serious about making government more efficient and improving the lives and healthcare of service-members, they should lean on experts and prioritize transparency over tweets. I am currently navigating that bureaucracy and will report out soon with direct experience feedback.”
“Effective government oversight of the safety of the nation’s roads and vehicles hinges on transparent and balanced operations of federal agencies charged with our protection,” said Michael Brooks, Executive Director of the Center for Auto Safety. “The ‘Department of Government Efficiency’ should not be allowed to move forward cloaked in secrecy, leaving federal consumer and safety protections subject to the ever-changing whims of inexperienced and unaccountable business magnates, and placing Americans at risk in and outside of cars.”
Read the complaint.
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The American Public Health Association champions optimal, equitable health and well-being for all. With our broad-based member community and 150-year perspective, we influence federal policy to improve the public’s health. Learn more at www.apha.org.
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Democracy Forward is a national legal organization that advances democracy and social progress through litigation, policy, public education, and regulatory engagement. For more information, please visit www.democracyforward.org.
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington is a non-partisan legal watchdog group that uses bold legal actions and in-depth investigations to take on government officials who sacrifice the common good to special interests and personal gain. For more information, please visit www.citizensforethics.org.