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On January 20th, 2025, President Trump established the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) by executive order. DOGE and its head, Elon Musk, hope to reduce the size and inefficiencies of the administrative state and return the federal bureaucracy to being accountable to the President and, ultimately, the people. While the scope and extent of this mission are still to be determined, one of DOGE’s early endeavors is to dramatically reduce the number of civil service employees determined to be unnecessary or wasteful. While many are vocal in their support of these actions, they are not without pushback, including several legal challenges.

What is DOGE, and are its structure and actions legal? Where does the power to remove civil servants rest? Are there limits to that power? What impacts will their removals have on the Executive Branch?

Featuring:

  • Ms. Kristine I. Simmons, Founder and Principal, Rose Communication & Coaching LLC
  • Prof. David A. Super, Carmack Waterhouse Professor of Law and Economics, Georgetown University Law Center
  • Mr. Manuel Valle, Senior Managing Associate, Sidley Austin LLP
  • Mr. Hans A. von Spakovsky, Senior Legal Fellow, The Heritage Foundation
  • (Moderator) Hon. Ryan T. Holte, Judge, United States Court of Federal Claims; Jurist-In-Residence Professor of Law, The University of Akron School of Law

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As always, the Federalist Society takes no position on particular legal or public policy issues; all expressions of opinion are those of the speaker.