Government unions sue over DOGE access to Labor Department 

The AFL-CIO and several of its affiliated government employee unions sued Wednesday over fears that Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is on the cusp of unlawfully gaining access to the Labor Department.

Musk’s team has instituted sweeping changes to the executive branch in the first weeks of President Trump’s administration, including moving to dismantle the U.S. Agency for International Development and access the Treasury Department’s payment system. 

“Today, they will come for the Department of Labor,” the lawsuit states, warning that it could provide Musk with non-public information about investigations into his companies.

The plaintiffs cited at least one Labor Department employee that was told DOGE plans to visit and “to do whatever they ask, not to push back, not to ask questions.”  Protests were also planned Wednesday afternoon at the Labor Department headquarters.

The Hill reached out to the Labor Department and the White House for comment. 

The new lawsuit follows a series of recent legal actions filed against DOGE claiming it is taking broad aim at the federal bureaucracy without any legal authority. 

“DOGE seeks to gain access to sensitive systems before courts can stop them, dismantle agencies before Congress can assert its prerogatives in the federal budget, and intimidate and threaten employees who stand in their way, worrying about the consequences later,” the complaint reads.

Wednesday’s lawsuit was filed by the AFL-CIO and several of its affiliates — the American Federation of Government Employees; the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees; the Service Employees International Union; and the Communication Workers of America — as well as the Economic Policy Institute, a think tank. 

The plaintiffs are represented by Democracy Forward Foundation, a left-leaning legal organization that has filed eight lawsuits against the new administration’s actions. 

It’s the latest sign of the AFL-CIO stepping up its anti-Musk push as he exerts extensive influence in Trump’s administration after pouring millions of dollars into boosting the president’s campaign. Earlier in the day, the AFL-CIO unveiled a public campaign called the “Department of People Who Work for a Living.” 

In the lawsuit, the groups in particular raised concern that the Labor Department could provide Musk non-public information regarding investigations of his companies. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), which is housed within the department, has investigated Tesla, SpaceX and the Boring Company. 

“In the context of this case, disclosure of OSHA records to the leader of multiple companies with ongoing OSHA investigations presents clear risks both to workers and to the integrity of OSHA’s enforcement efforts,” the lawsuit states.