Happy New Year 2025

Tag: Catastrophic

  • ‘Catastrophic results’: Union, taxpayer groups take stab at DOGE in latest lawsuit over IRS data access

    ‘Catastrophic results’: Union, taxpayer groups take stab at DOGE in latest lawsuit over IRS data access

    In a lawsuit filed on Monday, multiple taxpayer and union groups alleged Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) violated multiple laws in its quest to unearth and eliminate wasteful government spending.

    The groups claim DOGE launched a “sweeping campaign to access highly-sensitive information systems” and violated laws that limit executive power, protect civil servants, and guard citizens’ data held by the government.

    The agency, which was created by an executive order earlier this year, remains a temporary organization within the White House and is tasked with optimizing the federal government, streamlining operations, and slashing spending in just 18 months.

    U.S. President Donald Trump is joined by Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, and his son, X Musk, during an executive order signing in the Oval Office at the White House on February 11, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

    LAWSUIT TRACKER: NEW RESISTANCE BATTLING TRUMP’S SECOND TERM THROUGH ONSLAUGHT OF LAWSUITS TAKING AIM AT EOS

    Noting recent DOGE action at the Treasury, Labor, Education and Health departments, as well as at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Office of Personnel Management and Internal Revenue Service (IRS), the suit alleges DOGE’s access to sensitive information systems “lacks statutory authority.”

    Specifically, it claims DOGE violated the Tax Reform Act, Privacy Act and Administrative Procedures Act.

    “The results have already been catastrophic,” according to the suit.

    DOGE protesters march down the street.

    About 100 DOGE protesters gathered, fearing DOGE would cut the workforce at the Bureau of Fiscal Service. (Fox News Digital)

    Without the court’s intervention, the groups said they were concerned about DOGE having access to sensitive information including social security numbers, individuals’ finances, and bank account information.

    The lawsuit also asserted DOGE will have access to confidential business information, tax records and IRS investigations, which “could include investigations or reports pertaining to Mr. [Elon] Musk’s businesses or those of his competitors.”

    “No other business owner on the planet has acces to this kind of information on his competitors, and for good reason,” lawyers wrote in the suit.

    Musk in DC

    Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Co-Chair of the newly announced Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), arrives on Capitol Hill on December 05, 2024 in Washington, DC. Musk and his Co-Chair, businessman Vivek Ramaswamy are meeting with lawmakers today about DOGE, a planned presidential advisory commission with the goal of cutting government spending and increasing efficiency in the federal workforce.  (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

    DOGE SCORES BIG COURT WIN, ALLOWED ACCESS DATA ON 3 FEDERAL AGENCIES

    The groups — the Center for Taxpaper Rights, Main Street Alliance, National Federation of Federal Employees, and Communications Workers of America — are seeking a temporary restraining order to maintain the status quo until the court has an opportunity to review DOGE and Musk’s actions.

    Following the review, plaintiffs asked the court to declare DOGE’s access unlawful, halt its use of IRS systems, order that information obtained illegally be deleted, and establish new security protections.

    The lawsuit was filed prior to a federal judge’s ruling on Tuesday to not block DOGE from accessing government data or firing federal employees. 

    Rally

    Demonstrators rally in support of federal workers outside of the Department of Health and Human Services, Friday, Feb. 14, in Washington.  (AP/Mark Schiefelbein)

    U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan rejected a request for a temporary restraining order, pointing to the absence of evidence showing the agency’s access caused “irreparable harm.”

    However, Chutkan did question what “appears to be the unchecked authority of an unelected individual,” referencing Musk.

    She also expressed concerns about DOGE’s accountability to Congress.

    ‘WASTEFUL AND DANGEROUS’: DOGE’S TOP FIVE MOST SHOCKING REVELATIONS

    WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 14: Protesters demonstrate in support of federal workers outside of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on February 14, 2025 in Washington, DC. Organizers held the protest to speak on the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) cuts.

    Protesters demonstrate in support of federal workers outside of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on Feb. 14, 2025 in Washington, DC. Organizers held the protest to speak on the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) cuts. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

    Last week, more than a dozen Democratic state attorneys general sued to temporarily restrict DOGE’s access to federal data about government employees, citing concerns about Musk’s access and power.

    “There is no greater threat to democracy than the accumulation of state power in the hands of a single, unelected individual,” according to the lawsuit, filed by New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez.

    Attorneys general from Arizona, California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington also signed onto the suit.

    CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP 

    Fox News Digital’s Breanne Deppisch contributed to this report.

    Alexandra Koch is a breaking news writer for Fox News Digital. Prior to joining Fox News, Alexandra covered breaking news, crime, religion, and the military in the southeast.

  • ‘Catastrophic threat’: Conservative group’s roadmap shows how Trump can use military to thwart cartels

    ‘Catastrophic threat’: Conservative group’s roadmap shows how Trump can use military to thwart cartels

    FIRST ON FOX: A top conservative group is offering a roadmap as to how President Donald Trump can effectively deploy the military to secure the southern border, arguing that there is a “substantial historic precedent” for such a use.

    “A broad and diverse set of options and legal authorities are available to the second Trump Administration for using the resources and capacities of the U.S. military to ensure the integrity of the border with Mexico,” the Heritage Foundation report, obtained first by Fox News Digital, says. “Additionally, there is substantial historical precedent for an active U.S. military role in border security and managing migration crises.”

    The report, “How the President Can Use the U.S. Military to Confront the Catastrophic Threat at the Border with Mexico,” argues that an “unchecked growth” of Mexican cartels, as well as illegal immigration and narcotics have “deepended and accelerated,” posing a destabilizing threat to the U.S.

    TRUMP DHS MAKES KEY MOVE AGAINST MIGRANTS ALLOWED IN VIA CONTROVERSIAL BIDEN PAROLE PROGRAMS

    This split shows the southern border wall and troops at the border. (Getty Images)

    Simultaneously, it argues that there has been a “rapid deterioration” in U.S.-Mexico security cooperation and Mexico’s own anti-cartel operations.

    It is a view shared by the new Trump administration. Trump issued an executive order on day one to deploy the military to the border as part of a slew of broader efforts to secure the southern border and crack down on illegal immigration.

    TRUMP DHS REPEALS KEY MAYORKAS MEMO LIMITING ICE AGENTS, ORDERS PAROLE REVIEW

    Authors Robert Greenway, Andres Martinez-Fernandez and Wilson Beaver argue for a number of follow-up measures to confront the threat of the cartels and what they see as a “reluctant” Mexican government.

    “The first steps on this front should consist of measures, such as substantial bolstering of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) border security capacities, increasing restrictions on formal and informal border crossings, ramping up U.S. law enforcement efforts, targeting illicit financial flows tied to the cartels, and sanctioning corrupt Mexican officials,” they wrote.

    President Donald Trump and Melania Trump

    President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump wave as they board Air Force One on Friday, Jan. 24, 2025 at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, for a trip to North Carolina and California. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

    The report stressed the need for appropriate funding from Congress and planning from agencies in order to prevent impacting other missions. It highlighted the potential for military equipment for immigration purposes, including deportation.

    “When it comes to large-scale illegal-alien detention and deportation, some of the underused but most impactful resources include U.S. military transport vehicles and facilities around the world which could support detention and repatriation of illegal aliens, including to higher-risk and extra-hemispheric countries of origin,” it says.

    As for direct military action against cartels, the authors say that it should be a “last resort,” with joint military action with Mexican coordination being the ideal condition.

    CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE

    “However, in the appropriate context, unilateral U.S. military action may be employed to disrupt cartel activity and prompt cooperation from a resistant Mexican government,” it says.

    It argues that Mexico is unlikely to change its stance with the election of President Claudia Sheinbaum, even in response to what the authors argue is a dramatically escalating threat from the cartels.

    “Today, drug cartels are the fifth-largest employer in Mexico, with between 160,000 and 185,000 members,” they wrote. “Cartels are also equipped with military-level weaponry, including anti-aircraft weapons and armored vehicles, while increasingly employing advanced technologies, such as drones and signal jamming systems.”

    The report also touts other uses for the military, including aiding border wall construction, helping supplement an overstretched Border Patrol, and the use of intelligence and surveillance methods to detect cross-border activity, as well as migrant detention at U.S. military facilities.

    Deportation flight out of U.S.

    People are seen boarding a U.S. military aircraft. The White House announced on Friday that “deportation flights have begun” in the U.S. (White House)

    The report comes after a flurry of activity from the administration, including the deployment of the military to the border, to tackle the border threat and limit illegal immigration.

    Troops began arriving in El Paso, Texas, and San Diego on Thursday evening, providing 1,000 U.S. Army personnel and 500 Marines from Camp Pendleton in California.

    CLICK TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

    “This represents a 60% increase in active-duty ground forces since President Trump was sworn-in Monday,” then-acting Defense Secretary Robert Salesses said in a statement late Wednesday.

    There are already 2,500 U.S. service members stationed at the southern border. 

    Fox News’ Christina Shaw contributed to this report.

    Adam Shaw is a politics reporter for Fox News Digital, primarily covering immigration and border security.

    He can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter.