Feb 23 Musk demands to know what all federal workers did last week, some agencies say not to respond By Steve Peoples, Associated Press Hundreds of thousands of federal workers have been given little more than 48 hours to explain what they accomplished over the last week, sparking confusion across key agencies as billionaire Elon Musk expands his drive to slash the size of… Continue reading
Feb 21 Could Trump really give money from Musk’s DOGE cuts to taxpayers? By Christopher Rugaber, Paul Wiseman, Associated Press If Musk's target of $2 trillion in spending cuts is achieved by next year, supporters of the idea say that about one-fifth of those funds could be distributed to taxpaying households in checks of about $5,000. But budget experts say… Continue reading
Feb 20 Watch 10:14 How Elon Musk gained so much power in the Trump administration By William Brangham, Ali Schmitz, Frank Carlson President Trump has tasked Elon Musk with an enormous job of searching the federal government and rooting out inefficiencies and waste. But Musk’s initial, often chaotic, infiltration of various departments has set off alarm bells. It’s also put the tech… Continue watching
Feb 20 Trump backs idea to send some budget savings claimed by DOGE to citizens By Chris Megerian, Associated Press Trump expressed support twice Wednesday, first at an investment conference in Miami and later aboard Air Force One on the flight home to Washington. Continue reading
Feb 19 Watch 8:30 Inspectors general fired by Trump issue warning about lack of oversight By Laura Barrón-López, Shrai Popat The Trump administration's first weeks saw a wave of firings, including more than 17 inspectors general, independent watchdogs overseeing government waste, fraud and abuse. These actions have already prompted a lawsuit challenging their legality and ongoing protests outside federal buildings. Continue watching
Feb 18 Federal judge refuses to immediately block Elon Musk and DOGE from federal data or worker layoffs By Lindsay Whitehurst, Associated Press U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan on Tuesday found that there are legitimate questions about Musk's authority, but said there isn't evidence of the kind of grave legal harm that would justify a temporary restraining order. Continue reading
Feb 18 Watch 6:49 Arizona attorney general discusses lawsuit challenging Musk’s power as unelected official By Amna Nawaz, Ian Couzens A federal judge ruled against a motion imposing a temporary restraining order on Elon Musk's so-called "Department of Government Efficiency." The ruling is in response to a suit brought by 14 attorneys general alleging President Trump violated the Constitution by… Continue watching
Feb 18 Watch 7:00 Musk and DOGE face new criticism for seeking access to sensitive IRS data By Geoff Bennett, Shrai Popat Elon Musk’s "Department of Government Efficiency" group is seeking access to data systems within the IRS that house financial information about every taxpayer, business and nonprofit in the country. Geoff Bennett discussed the implications with Natasha Sarin, a professor at… Continue watching
Feb 18 Social Security head steps down over DOGE access of recipient information, AP reports By Fatima Hussein, Associated Press King's exit from the administration is one of several departures of high-ranking officials concerned about DOGE staffers' potential unlawful access to private taxpayer information. Continue reading
Feb 17 DOGE seeks access to taxpayer data at IRS, AP reports By Fatima Hussein, Associated Press If successful, Musk and his group would have access to millions of tightly controlled files that include taxpayer information, bank records and other sensitive records. Continue reading