Elon Musk

Head of Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)

Led DOGE from January to May 2025, targeting federal agencies for dismantlement. DOGE accessed Treasury, OPM, and SSA databases containing data on hundreds of millions of Americans without proper authorization. Federal judges blocked the access. The initiative resulted in a 9% reduction of the federal civilian workforce.

Linked Incidents

5 Total incidents
1 War Crime / Crime Against Humanity
4 Serious Rights Violation
5 enabling
Updated March 25, 2026 Corruption & Self-Dealing
Serious Rights Violation Ongoing Judicial finding

DOGE Unauthorized Access to Treasury, OPM, and Social Security Databases

DOGE accessed Treasury, OPM, and SSA databases containing millions of Americans' personal data without authorization or completed background checks. Federal judges ordered data disgorged and deleted, finding Privacy Act and APA violations, though the Supreme Court later partially reversed.

  • DOGE staff were granted access to Treasury's central payment system (handling trillions in tax refunds, Social Security benefits, and veterans' benefits), OPM personnel databases, and SSA systems containing Americans' most sensitive personal data.
  • A federal judge found DOGE staffers were given access before background checks were completed or inter-agency detail agreements were finalized, violating the Privacy Act and Administrative Procedure Act.
Sources
8
Documents
2
Updates
0
Updated March 25, 2026 Federal Dismantlement
Serious Rights Violation Ongoing Active litigation

Schedule F Reclassification: Mass Removal of Civil Service Protections

Schedule F reclassification targets 50,000 federal employees for removal of civil service protections, enabling political firing for 'subversion of presidential directives.' The rule strips appeal rights, whistleblower protections, and Merit Systems Protection Board access, drawing lawsuits from over 30 organizations.

  • Approximately 50,000 federal employees (2% of the federal workforce) will be reclassified into 'Schedule Policy/Career,' losing civil service protections including appeal rights and whistleblower protections.
  • The final rule removes statutory whistleblower protections and prevents workers from appealing their reclassification to the Merit Systems Protection Board, eliminating key accountability mechanisms.
Sources
8
Documents
2
Updates
0
Updated March 25, 2026 Federal Dismantlement
War Crime / Crime Against Humanity Ongoing Official executive action

Systematic Dismantlement of USAID and Global Humanitarian Consequences

Systematic destruction of the US Agency for International Development resulted in termination of lifesaving programs across the developing world, with The Lancet projecting 9.4 million additional preventable deaths by 2030.

  • The Lancet projects 9.4 million additional deaths by 2030 as a direct result of the USAID dismantlement, making this potentially the single largest humanitarian consequence of any single administrative action.
  • 23 million children lost access to education and 95 million people lost access to basic healthcare when USAID programs were terminated.
Sources
4
Documents
2
Updates
0
Updated March 25, 2026 Federal Dismantlement
Serious Rights Violation Ongoing Official executive action

FEMA Dismantlement — Budget Cuts, Mass Layoffs, and Destruction of Disaster Response Capacity

A systematic effort to dismantle federal disaster preparedness and response capacity through budget cuts, mass layoffs, program terminations, and structural reorganization. FEMA's workforce has already shrunk by one-third, with plans to cut it in half. The disaster response workforce faces a 41% cut and the surge workforce an 85% cut, leaving the country dangerously unprepared for hurricanes, wildfires, earthquakes, and other disasters.

  • FEMA's workforce shrank from approximately 29,000 to 23,000 in 2025 — a loss of one-third of its staff since Trump's second term began.
  • The proposed FY2026 budget cuts FEMA by $646 million. Plans call for a 50% total workforce reduction, a 41% disaster response staff cut, and an 85% cut to the surge workforce that deploys after major disasters.
Sources
8
Documents
0
Updates
0
Updated September 25, 2025 Federal Dismantlement
Serious Rights Violation Ongoing Judicial finding

Mass Firing of Inspectors General Across Federal Government

Trump fired at least 17 inspectors general across the federal government without the advance notice to Congress that the Inspector General Act generally requires, and a later federal ruling said the notice failure violated the statute.

  • At least 17 inspectors general were removed in a single sweep across multiple agencies.
  • The Inspector General Act generally requires notice to Congress before removal.
Sources
5
Documents
0
Updates
2