
American Oversight Opposes Government’s Attempt to Delay DOGE Accountability
American Oversight warns stay would shield records destruction and deny public transparency in FRA and FOIA case.

On Tuesday, American Oversight filed its opposition to the government’s motion to stay proceedings in the watchdog’s lawsuit against the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) under the Federal Records Act (FRA) and Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). In recent months, the government has sought similar stays in multiple lawsuits challenging DOGE’s secrecy, attempting to put watchdogs’ cases on hold while other litigation plays out. American Oversight is pushing back, warning that such an indefinite delay would block transparency and risk the continued destruction of federal records.
Since January, DOGE has operated in secrecy while carrying out sweeping changes across the federal government, including dismantling entire agencies, canceling previously approved grants and contracts, overruling instructions from Senate-confirmed Cabinet members, directing the termination of tens of thousands of federal employees, and shaping policy through private messaging apps with auto-delete features. American Oversight has sought records to shed light on DOGE’s actions, but instead of producing the records as required by law, the government petitioned the court to pause the proceedings.
“The Trump administration can’t dodge accountability by pointing to someone else’s lawsuit for reprieve,” said Chioma Chukwu, executive director of American Oversight. “Every day that DOGE operates in the shadows is another day the public, media, Congress, and the courts lose access to records of historic importance that are essential for oversight and accountability. The government’s request to stall this case is nothing more than an attempt to give DOGE a free pass to keep destroying records and evading oversight — and the American people deserve far better.”
In its filing, American Oversight explained that courts strongly disfavor indefinite stays based on unrelated cases. The watchdog emphasized that a stay would significantly harm the public by delaying access to records and risking the ongoing destruction of government documents, while doing nothing to promote judicial economy, as the core legal question of whether DOGE is subject to federal transparency and records laws is not yet pending in CREW v. DOGE.
American Oversight has filed more than 40 FOIA requests to DOGE since January 20, 2025, five of which are at issue in this case. The watchdog’s lawsuit also alleges violations of the FRA based on DOGE’s widespread use of Signal, Google Docs, and other platforms that lack safeguards to ensure records are preserved.