The Department of Government Efficiency — the Trump administration’s cost-cutting agency, headed by billionaire business owner Elon Musk — has put hundreds of federal officials on leave, gained access to sensitive federal payment systems and led the charge to shutter federal agencies.
The pushback against DOGE, as it is called, has been swift, as lawmakers and the public ask whether Musk can downsize, restructure or eliminate agencies Congress has authorized and funded.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., wrote Feb. 3 on X: "An unelected shadow government is conducting a hostile takeover of the federal government. DOGE is not a real government agency. DOGE has no authority to make spending decisions. DOGE has no authority to shut programs down or to ignore federal law. DOGE’s conduct cannot be allowed to stand."
At a press conference the following day, Schumer said that the idea that DOGE is acting unlawfully "is not debatable. It is an indisputable fact."
Officially, courts will decide whether that’s indisputable or not.
