this post was submitted on 08 Feb 2025
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Politics

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[–] n2burns@lemmy.ca 9 points 1 month ago (2 children)

The White House has said Musk and his DOGE colleagues are "special government employees." It has yet to be seen of that arrangement is legal, but as it stands, they are part of the government workforce which is why bureaucrats are "going along with this".

[–] Midnitte@beehaw.org 23 points 1 month ago (2 children)

White House casually admiting they created a new department without congressional approval and oversight, violating Article II.

[–] n2burns@lemmy.ca 10 points 1 month ago (1 children)

While they call it a department, it's not a new department. They renamed the "United States Digital Service" and created the "U.S. DOGE Service Temporary Organization" under it.

[–] Midnitte@beehaw.org 7 points 1 month ago

This all sounds like some untested legal loopholes to create a new department without congressional approval.

[–] Bldck@beehaw.org 9 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Special government employee is a specific classification that has been used by both Parties to have an advisor in the Executive Branch for brief periods (120 days at most).

That does not imply that DOGE is an official agency or department.

They are legally distinct concepts

[–] Midnitte@beehaw.org 1 points 1 month ago

And do `special government employees' run the department of USAID?

[–] Letstakealook@lemm.ee 9 points 1 month ago

Advising is a far cry from allowing them to access the personal information of millions of people and alter the code of our infrastructure. This is definitely unprecedented and unacceptable.