The Division of Authorities Effectivity (DOGE) spent one other week slashing a whole bunch of hundreds of thousands in spending by the federal authorities, whereas dodging varied authorized makes an attempt to dam its cost-cutting efforts.
Listed here are a few of DOGE’s large wins this week:
1. Choose shoots down request to cease federal employee firingsÂ
On Thursday, U.S. District Choose Christopher Cooper, an Obama appointee, shot down a request from a number of federal labor unions, together with the Nationwide Treasury Staff Union (NTEU), to pause the mass firings of federal employees by the Trump administration.
NTEU and 4 different labor unions representing federal staff filed a grievance Feb. 12 difficult the firing of probationary staff and the deferred resignation program, which provides employees the choice to conform to work from an workplace or resign.Â
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Elon Musk’s DOGE claimed victory in a number of battles this week. (Getty)
Cooper denied the request to cease the firings, saying the court docket lacked jurisdiction over the unions’ claims.
As an alternative, Cooper dominated the unions should pursue their challenges by way of the Federal Service Labor-Administration Relations Statute, which supplies for administrative assessment by the Federal Labor Relations Authority.
2. Choose says DOGE can maintain digging
DOGE was handed one other victory by U.S. District Choose Tanya S. Chutkan, who denied a request to challenge a brief restraining order stopping Musk and DOGE from accessing knowledge methods on the Division of Training, Workplace of Personnel Administration (OPM), Division of Labor, Division of Well being and Human Providers, Division of Power, Division of Transportation and Division of Commerce.Â
The businesses had been asking Chutkan to forbid each Musk and DOGE from terminating, furloughing or placing on depart any of their staff.Â
Chutkin dominated that DOGE can proceed to function as it’s now.
The choose additionally issued a court docket briefing schedule for plaintiffs and defendants to file motions for discovery, preliminary injunctions and dismissals, which stretches by way of April 22.
The White Home on Wednesday outlined the place the Elon Musk-led Division of Authorities Effectivity dividend checks may go after President Donald Trump floated the thought of giving 20% of financial savings again to People. Â (Musk: Reuters / Cash: iStock / Trump: Getty)
3. Choose permits DOGE entry to knowledge on 3 federal businesses
DOGE scored a win in court docket after a federal choose declined a request to quickly block Elon Musk’s authorities effectivity staff from accessing delicate knowledge from at the very least three federal businesses.
Unions and nonprofits tried to cease Musk’s DOGE from accessing data on the Departments of Labor, Well being and Human Providers and the Shopper Monetary Safety Bureau.
The efforts had been blocked by District Choose John Bates, who wrote in an opinion that the federal government was probably right in categorizing DOGE as an company, thereby permitting it to element its workers to different authorities departments.Â
Musk praised the choice on X with the caption: “LFG,” an abbreviation for “Let’s [expletive] go.”Â
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4. DOGE finds a virtually untraceable price range line merchandise liable for $4.7T in funds
Earlier this week, DOGE introduced it had found an identification code linking U.S. Treasury funds to a price range line merchandise, which accounts for practically $4.7 trillion in funds, that was oftentimes left clean.
Elon Musk listens as President Donald Trump speaks with reporters within the Oval Workplace on the White Home Feb. 11, 2025, in Washington. (Alex Brandon)
“The Treasury Entry Image (TAS) is an identification code linking a Treasury cost to a price range line merchandise (customary monetary course of),” DOGE wrote in a publish on X.Â
“Within the Federal Authorities, the TAS subject was elective for ~$4.7 Trillion in funds and was typically left clean, making traceability virtually not possible. As of Saturday, that is now a required subject, growing perception into the place cash is definitely going.”
The company thanked the U.S. Treasury for its work in figuring out the elective subject.
In accordance with the Bureau of the Fiscal Service, which is underneath the Treasury, TAS codes are used to explain any one of many account identification codes assigned by the Treasury and are additionally known as the “account.”
5. Caesars Palace, MLB stadium, an ice cream truck: DOGE reveals how faculties spent billions in COVID aid funds
Colleges spent a whole bunch of billions of COVID aid funds on bills that had “little” affect on college students, equivalent to Las Vegas resort rooms and the acquisition of an ice cream truck, in accordance with the Trump administration’s cost-cutting division.
DOGE reveals how COVID aid funds have been spent by faculties. (Getty Photographs)
DOGE revealed Thursday that faculties have spent practically $200 billion in COVID aid funds “with little oversight or affect on college students.”
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Granite Public Colleges in Utah spent COVID aid funds on $86,000 in resort rooms at Caesars Palace, a ritzy Las Vegas On line casino, whereas Santa Ana Unified spent $393,000 to lease a Main League Baseball stadium, in accordance with a report by Mother and father Defending Training and shared by DOGE.
The price-cutting division additionally revealed that faculties spent $60,000 in COVID aid funds on swimming pool passes, whereas a California district used its funds to buy an ice cream truck.
6. Hegseth working with DOGE to chop the ‘BS’
Secretary of Protection Pete Hegseth is working with DOGE to make cuts inside his division, saying he believes it should discover waste “not core to our mission.”
U.S. Secretary of Protection Pete Hegseth delivers a press assertion after a gathering on the Ministry of Protection. (Omar Marques)
“They’re right here, and we’re welcoming them,” Hegseth stated in a current video launched Thursday. “They’ll have broad entry, clearly, with all of the safeguards on classification.
“They care similar to we do, to search out the redundancies and establish the final vestiges of Biden priorities — the DEI, the woke, the local weather change B.S., that is not core to our mission, and we will do away with all of it.”
Hegseth, who stated many DOGE employees are veterans, met with Musk’s staff and stated they’ve already began their assessment of the Division of Protection.
7. DOGE uncovers over 4M authorities bank cards liable for 90M transactions
DOGE revealed on Tuesday that the U.S. authorities has greater than 4 million lively bank cards on its books.
“The US authorities at the moment has ~4.6M lively bank cards/accounts, which processed ~90M distinctive transactions for ~$40B of spend[ing] in FY24,” DOGE stated in a publish on X.
President-elect Donald Trump greets Elon Musk as he arrives to attend a viewing of the launch of the sixth take a look at flight of the SpaceX Starship rocket Nov. 19, 2024, in Brownsville, Texas (Brandon Bell)
The price-cutting division broke down a number of federal businesses and their bank card use, with the DOD main the best way in each the variety of transactions, about 27.2 million, and the variety of particular person accounts, roughly 2.4 million.
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Musk delivered a speech to conservatives Thursday during which he touted the accomplishments of DOGE and, at one level, stood on the stage holding a golden chainsaw given to him by Argentina’s President Javier Milei, symbolizing the cuts being made to authorities spending, to the delight of the gang of conservatives on the Conservative Political Motion Convention in Maryland.Â
“We’re combating Matrix large time right here,” Musk stated. “It’s got to be achieved.”
Fox Information’ Alex Nitzberg, Emma Woodhead, Michael Lee, Greg Wehner, and Michael Dorgan contributed to this report.
