Top officials within the Trump administration will be required to testify under oath about the controversial Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) led by Elon Musk, following a ruling by a federal judge. The decision, as reported by Reuters, comes after public employee unions filed a lawsuit to prevent the agency from accessing federal systems.
District Judge John Bates of Washington approved the deposition of four key officials: one from DOGE itself, and three others from the Department of Labor, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The identities of those involved remain confidential.
Bates is currently considering a preliminary injunction to block the department’s access to federal systems while the case progresses. The depositions, limited to a total of eight hours, will focus on the internal structure of DOGE, the roles of its staff, the level of access granted to government systems, and the security measures in place.
Justice Department attorneys had opposed the unions’ request, but have not issued any public statements. Bates, appointed by Republican President George W. Bush, noted the contradictions in the government’s account of the department’s activities, raising questions about whether DOGE is even an official agency.
“It would be strange to permit defendants to submit evidence that addresses critical factual issues and proceed to rule on a preliminary injunction motion without permitting plaintiffs to explore those factual issues through very limited discovery,” the judge wrote.
DOGE has operated in secrecy thus far, with Musk serving as its public face. The billionaire, closely associated with Mr. Trump, has touted drastic cuts to federal agencies, but the Justice Department has denied in court that Musk holds any official role in the department.
The American Federation of Labor and the Congress of Industrial Organizations filed a lawsuit against the Department of Labor to block access to its systems, fearing that Musk could gain sensitive information about investigations involving his companies. Bates initially rejected the request for an immediate block.
The lawsuit has since expanded, now involving additional departments and new unions among the plaintiffs.
