Summary

Elon Musk claims his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is shutting down payments to federal contractors, including a Lutheran charity, asserting it is eliminating corruption.

This suggests DOGE has access to Treasury’s payment systems, though officials have not confirmed the extent.

Senator Ron Wyden warned that DOGE may interfere with Social Security, Medicare, and government contracts.

Musk also called USAID “a criminal organization” that should “die,” amid DOGE’s growing influence over federal financial operations.

  • njm1314@lemmy.world
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    2 months ago

    Oh please start halting payments to government contractors. This guy starts holding payments to Lockheed Martin and Raytheon he’s going to wind up real Dead real quick

  • reddig33@lemmy.world
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    2 months ago

    Great way to get sued for breach of contract. This administration is going to be tied up in court for the next four years

  • WideEyedStupid@lemmy.world
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    2 months ago

    Can I ask? Why does Musk suddenly have this authority? “DOGE” isn’t even a real Department, right? And also, Musk hasn’t been elected or officially confirmed for any government position. Why the fuck is he giving orders and leading departments and having any power whatsoever over the U.S. Treasury and such? I don’t understand how this works. Why doesn’t the U.S. have any… I don’t know, safeguards against this sort of shit? It’s absolutely bonkers to watch this unfold from across the pond.

    Musk just walked up, said “I’m in charge now” and everyone’s just complying? Please ELI5.

    • homura1650@lemmy.world
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      2 months ago

      He doesn’t. However, that is only according to this pesky technicality called “the law”. If the President does not want to follow the law, and appoints people who also do not care for following the law, then the law stops being a thing to look for for authority; and Musk can do this because Trump says he can.

      In the short term, expect this to be shut down by the courts. In the medium term, a bunch of these orders will end up in front of the Supreme Court that unironically said “if the president does it, it might be illegal, but he is absolutely immune from prosecution”. Even if the SC come down on the only legally defensible position, Trump could still say “them and what army”

      This is 100% a coup by Trump to centralize power in the executive. When staging a coup, “authority” is merely an inconvenience.

    • Zess@lemmy.world
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      2 months ago

      Everyone is not “just complying,” two security directors of USAID were dismissed when they tried to stop the musky henchmen.

    • Professorozone@lemmy.world
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      2 months ago

      We do have safeguards. They’re all being removed one by one by the party in charge. I’m guessing that some just comply because they figure it’s inevitable. On the other hand we have a long history of allowing people in power to do what they want. Bush walked into Iraq, we’ve had many military actions in many countries but haven’t declared war since world war II.

      Or maybe Musk is just pushing the boundaries before he’s deported. LOL.

      EDIT: changed WWIII to the intended WWII.

    • Bosht@lemmy.world
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      2 months ago

      Because our government is filled with a bunch of geriatric FUCKS who don’t give a shit and whose whole personality is ‘fuck you I got mine’. There are checks and balances and this could be stopped if anyone was fucking useful to any capacity. We shouldn’t have to rise up in the streets or deal with this as that’s the whole god damn point of the gov. But because we allowed corporate interests to infiltrate and line the pockets of these assholes, along with there being no term limits, this is what we get.

  • Mnemnosyne@sh.itjust.works
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    2 months ago

    Remember when people were posting articles on how stupid and ridiculous DOGE is because it wouldn’t have the authority to do anything?

    • untorquer@lemmy.world
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      2 months ago

      Lawsuit submitted

      Lower court determines whether to stay the action while case is handled

      Changes are unrecoverable since department can’t pay staff managing the payments

      Law enforcement given warrant to force stay

      Law enforcement chooses not to enforce because they have no motivation

      Payments never restored

      Case goes to supreme court

      Law interpreted in favor of the administration because clearly no means yes, it’s obvious

      Congress doesn’t respond due to right wing majority

      Checks and balances are dead.

    • Maggoty@lemmy.world
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      2 months ago

      So I was looking at this today. It looks like a combination of serendipity and malicious behavior. The US Digital Service was effectively leaderless on Jan 20 when it was renamed DOGE. That’s the serendipity. But it was already “excepted service” under the president instead of a congressionally chartered agency. So they could (and likely would have) simply fire any leadership.

      USDS’ purpose was to fix computer systems all over the government. And it was doing a great job of that. But in order to do that it does get access other agencies don’t. This is where the malicious part comes in. Trump turns them into DOGE and links them with lawyers and HR people. They use their existing access authorization to get into systems and then do HR stuff instead of systems engineering. Furthermore they aren’t currently funded, which means they shouldn’t be operating at all. Their last funding ran out in September.

      Trump can just appoint people to it because he has a wide ranging authority to do temporary hires. Another malicious catch though is Musk is clearly operating DOGE but he hasn’t been put on payroll.

      This is illegal, and there are lawsuits already filed. But they’re counting on people not understanding the intricacies of the different kinds of federal service to enact their plan. Which to me is pretty transparently to force all agencies to submit to DOGE as a stand in for the White House and an end run around all laws about the civil service. Basically an unconstitutional power grab by the President.

    • LePoisson@lemmy.world
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      2 months ago

      Because we’re all just people and at the end of the day some person is agreeing to not dispense the funds or not provide aid or to round up individuals … Until there is meaningful pushback by people who actually are carrying this bullshit out it won’t change.

      Idk same as how the Nazis managed the Holocaust, at the end of the day thousands of individuals agreed and did their part to exterminate the Jews. Same as how Israel now is committing an ongoing genocide in Gaza with their military and all those individuals are carrying out their orders.

      Authority, like many other things in our society, is an emphemeral concept we all agree to. Authority is given when we agree to abide by what that authority says. Same like our laws, sure we have laws against things but it’s not like those actually mean anything if they’re not obeyed by the majority. Nothing stopping you from doming Elon with the a large brick if you got one and can get close enough, you know what I mean?

        • Coreidan@lemmy.world
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          2 months ago

          Agreed but not enough.

          MOST people were perfectly happy with voting for Trump, or not voting at all.

          If you didn’t vote this election then you are the problem.

  • ansiz@lemmy.world
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    2 months ago

    Musk is himself a giant government contractor via Space X and Starlink. Odds are he’s just trying to clear the board to funnel the money to his businesses. Especially when it comes to defense money!

      • AngryCommieKender@lemmy.world
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        2 months ago

        I hate to inform you, but US corporations don’t do that shit to other corporations/ governments. Just look at TVs. All your consumer grade TVs have had smart/LLM “features” shoved into them. They don’t do that on the commercial lines though. Commercial TVs are still “dumb.” Same for computers, cars, and pretty much everything that they can shove electronics in.

        • Maggoty@lemmy.world
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          2 months ago

          They do sell fleet vehicles with all the tracking stuff. They just offer the tracking information to the company as a means of surveiling their employees.

      • jj4211@lemmy.world
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        2 months ago

        It’s not just suppliers. If you piss off Constellis (remember Blackwater?) and deny it legal remedies, they might be of a mind to do something to Elon as extra-legal as some of the stuff they have done for the US military as a PMC. These companies are used to getting their hands dirty and getting away with it. Not the sorts of people I’d be illegally denying their payments…