Washington, February 19: The White House says billionaire Elon Musk is not technically part of the Department of Government Efficiency team that is sweeping through federal agencies but is rather a senior advisor to President Donald Trump. Musk's exact role could be key in the legal fight over DOGE's access to government data as the Trump administration moves to lay off thousands of federal workers. Defining him as an advisor rather than the administrator in charge of day-to-day operations at DOGE could help the administration push back against a lawsuit arguing Musk has too much power for someone who isn't elected or Senate-confirmed.

The declaration was filed on Monday as the Trump administration fends off the lawsuit from several Democratic states that want to block Musk and the DOGE team from accessing government systems. The litigants say Musk is wielding "virtually unchecked power" in violation of the Constitution.슬롯 머신 사이트 추천US: Elon Musk-Led DOGE Cancels 슬롯사이트˜Strengthening Political Landscape in Bangladesh슬롯사이트� Project.

The Trump administration, on the other hand, says Musk is not a DOGE employee and has "no actual authority to make government decisions himself", Joshua Fisher, director of the White House Office of Administration, said in court papers. The documents do not name the administrator of DOGE, whose work Musk has championed in posts on his social-media platform X and in a public appearance at the White House.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt declined on Tuesday to say who is leading DOGE. Layoffs are up to individual agency heads rather than DOGE, she said. The DOGE team has roamed from agency to agency, tapping into computer systems, digging into budgets and searching for waste, fraud and abuse, while lawsuits pile up claiming Trump and DOGE are violating the law. At least two are targeting Musk himself.슬롯 머신 사이트 추천Elon Musk Says DOGE Found FEMA Sent USD 59 Million to New York City Luxury Hotels To House Illegal Migrants.

Last week, Musk called for the US to "delete entire agencies" from the federal government as part of the push to radically cut spending and restructure its priorities. US District Judge Tanya Chutkan seemed sceptical in a hearing on Monday when Justice Department lawyers asserted that Musk has no formal authority."I think you stretch too far. I disagree with you there," Chutkan said.

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