Arizona AG works to stop actions of Trump, Musk and DOGE
The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) announced a new deadline for federal employees as the Trump administration and Elon Musk say they’re taking swift action against federal waste. FOX 10’s Nicole Krasean has more.
PHOENIX – The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) announced a new deadline for federal employees as the Trump administration and Elon Musk say they’re taking swift action against federal waste.
Many government employees say they are caught in the middle.
What we know:
In an email sent on the night of Feb. 22, federal workers were told they have until Monday, Feb. 24 at 11:59 p.m., to list five work accomplishments from the prior week, or be at risk of losing their jobs.
Some agency heads, including Trump appointees, have told their staff to ignore the emails.
Musk’s email to federal employees comes on the heels of thousands of government layoffs already since Trump’s inauguration, as well as the freezing of some federal grant funding.
The email came just hours after Trump encouraged him on social media to “get more aggressive” in reducing the size of the government.
Local perspective:
Some states, including Arizona, are filing lawsuits to stop DOGE’s actions.
On Feb. 23, we spoke with Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes, who currently has several lawsuits filed against Trump, Elon Musk and DOGE.
Mayes says this is an example of how broken the system currently is.
“It actually is going to be evidence in my case against Elon Musk and Donald Trump and DOGE because it demonstrates that he actually is in charge and that violates the separation of powers, and it violates the Appointments Clause in the Constitution, so you know, obviously, it’s bad for America, but it’s going to be part of our litigation to try to stop this,” Mayes said.
The other side:
There are politicians in Arizona who are in support of the scrutinization of federal services and spending.
Republican Congressman Eli Crane shared his support for Musk’s DOGE, saying on X, “The American people have a right to know how THEIR money is being spent. Swampy politicians have hid their efforts for too long. A $36 trillion dollar debt wasn’t an accident. Thankfully, we live in a new era of transparency.”
GOP Congressman Abe Hamadeh agreed, saying, “It’s sad it’s taken us this long to get to the bottom of how wasteful the bureaucrats & the federal government have been with our hard-earned tax dollars. It’s infuriating watching the mainstream media pretend these discoveries are no big deal. It’s obvious why these propagandists have lost all influence.”
