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A report has stated that Elon Musk’s DOGE team has suspended its use of Slack as part of moves toward a new system that is not subject to the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act.
404 Media has made the claims amid the growing influence of the ‘department of government efficiency’ (DOGE), and conflicts created by its actions, just weeks into the second term of President Donald Trump.
With his approval and bolstered by an executive order, DOGE has been given the green light to kick-start the upcoming agenda, “by modernizing Federal technology and software to maximize governmental efficiency and productivity.”
In the last week, there have been controversies due to DOGE’s requesting access to secure U.S. Treasury systems, with a very senior career official resigning over the matter. Another similar incident saw two USAID representatives being placed on administrative leave due to their opposition.
Now, employees working for the Musk-led external agency have been instructed to stop using the workplace communication platform Slack while legal reps aim to replace it with one that is not subject to the Freedom of Information Act.
A message seen by 404 Media stated:
“Good morning, everyone! As a reminder, please refrain from using Slack at the moment while our various general counsels figure out the best way to handle the records migration to our new EOP [Executive Office of the President] component. Will update as soon as we have more information!”
Another cable seen by the outlet suggests the US Digital Service (which has effectively been consumed by DOGE) will “split” from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).
“I spoke to the DOGE team about Slack. Because of the USDs split from OMB, OMB is asking us to stop generating new slack messages starting now,” the message read.
“We expect this to be a temporary pause, and we expect to continue having access to historical Slack material. We may have intermittent access as we go through this system transition so continue to use good data hygiene and backup any critical material. We will keep you updated.”
Today, 78 contracts were terminated for convenience across DEI, Non-Performing, Media, and Consulting categories, including one for “groundwater exploration and assessment in the Islamic Republic of Mauritania.”
Approximately $110mm of total savings.
— Department of Government Efficiency (@DOGE) February 6, 2025
Surely challenged in the courts
The instant concern is the fact that DOGE appears to be taking a path without accountability or scrutiny, one that cannot fall under the remit of the FOI Act. Instead, its new direction would fall into the territory of the Executive Office of the President and answerable to White House Chief of Staff, Susie Wiles.
This would mean DOGE is a Presidential Records Act entity and those records are generally not subject to the act, and kept uncovered until years after a serving president leaves office.
Jason R. Baron, a professor at the University of Maryland and former director of litigation at the National Archives and Records Administration has expressed caution on the matter.
“The administration apparently has made a determination that DOGE will be a presidential component subject to the Presidential Records Act. However, that will surely be challenged in the courts in connection with FOIA lawsuits. Under FOIA, it will be for the courts to decide whether under existing DOGE is acting more like a federal oversight agency or as a presidential component that solely advises the President.”
Image credit: Via Grok/X
