Is Musk’s DOGE Dodging the Law?
Live debate now streaming on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify and OpentoDebate.org.
Topics: Law, U.S.
Public Release Date: March 7, 2025
This debate was streamed exclusively on X on Tuesday, March 4th at 2:30 PM ET. Follow us @OpentoDebateOrg to join the next live debate.
In the new Trump administration, Elon Musk was named a special government employee and de facto head of the newly created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which seeks to eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse within federal agencies.
The specific question we ask this week is not about the politics, the goals, or material benefits or harms of DOGE, but the legality of what it is doing, and how it is doing it. To address this question, we brought together two of the country’s most esteemed constitutional law experts. Those who question DOGE’s legality argue it is overstepping constitutional boundaries and undermining the separation of powers by bypassing legislative oversight and accountability. But those supporting DOGE’s actions claim that the department is operating under strict federal oversight and, thus far, is fulfilling its mandate by exposing inefficiency and corruption.
As its actions continue, we debate the question: Is Musk’s DOGE Dodging the Law?
ARGUING YES:
Laurence Tribe: University Professor of Constitutional Law Emeritus at Harvard Law School
ARGUING NO:
Michael W. McConnell: Former Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit; Law Professor and Director of the Constitutional Law Center at Stanford Law School
MODERATOR-IN-CHIEF:
John Donvan: Emmy award-winning journalist