Washington DC: 14 US states have filed a lawsuit against President Donald Trump and his close associate Elon Musk. These states are unhappy with Elon Musk’s appointment as head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DoGE).
According to the states, Musk has amassed enormous power as head of the DoGE and that this is a violation of the US Constitution.
The lawsuit, filed Thursday in federal court in Washington, D.C., says the unlimited power President Trump has given Musk to fire the government workforce and abolish entire departments at once is shocking to the people who give America its freedom.
It is said that the President does not have the power to abolish federal agencies.
The lawsuit states that Musk must be formally nominated by the president or confirmed by the Senate to have the powers granted to him under the Appointments Clause of the Constitution.
They argue that because the Constitution does not give the US president the power to change existing laws governing the structure of the executive branch and government spending, the president does not have the power to create new federal agencies or abolish any agencies.
Demand states to declare Musk’s actions illegal
These states have demanded that all actions taken by Musk be declared illegal at the official level of government. These states accuse Musk of not only being an advisor to the White House, but also interfering in at least 17 federal agencies.
This is the second lawsuit filed against Musk since he was appointed as the DoGE chief. Previously, a lawsuit was filed against him in a federal court in Maryland, claiming that he violated the Constitution.
After winning the election in November, Donald Trump announced the creation of a new Department of Government Efficiency (DoGE). He said that its work would provide outside advice to the government. Donald Trump handed it over to Elon Musk and Indian-origin businessman Vivek Ramaswami. Vivek Ramaswamy was later removed from it.