‘They Can Throw Sand In Those Works’: Jonathan Turley Analyzes Legal Hurdles In Trump’s Government Restructuring

George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley appeared on Fox News Tuesday to discuss President Donald Trump’s approach to “reschedule” federal workers.

During an appearance on “The Ingraham Angle,” Turley said Trump’s move to reduce government staff has been prematurely challenged. Turley shared his insights into the ongoing legal disputes that threaten the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

“That’s already been challenged, and the thrust of that challenge is that other federal laws guarantee due process. And that by redesignating them, you are cutting back on legislative changes. A lot of these efforts are meant to slow things down, including the challenge to DOGE. You know, the challenge there is that is to say what is DOGE? And what the challengers insist is that it’s an advisory committee. And advisory committees have to be open and balanced. But they are a bit premature,” Turley said when Laura Ingraham mentioned rescheduling federal employees.

Turley said that the DOGE initiative itself is still evolving, adding that the advisory committee’s role and structure are still under scrutiny. Turley also pointed out that parallel efforts by Congress to address the same issues through legislation are likely to continue.

“DOGE is very much a work in progress. But the other problem that they are going to have is they can throw sand in those works. But Congress has a parallel DOGE effort going on. They are not going to be delayed by litigation. So, I’m not too sure how successful these initial attacks are going to be.”

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Trump signed an executive order on Monday that established the DOGE, scaling back its ambitions to concentrate on updating federal technology and software.

“I am pleased to announce that the Great Elon Musk, working in conjunction with American Patriot Vivek Ramaswamy, will lead the Department of Government Efficiency (‘DOGE’),” Trump said in his official announcement of the initiative in November. “Together, these two wonderful Americans will pave the way for my Administration to dismantle Government Bureaucracy, slash excess government regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure Federal Agencies.”

The executive order prioritizes refining federal technology and software, diverging from earlier, broader goals of DOGE, such as Elon Musk saying at Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally in November that it could slash the federal budget by at least $2 trillion. Following Ramaswamy’s resignation from DOGE on Monday, presumably to prepare for a gubernatorial campaign in Ohio in 2026, Musk now solely directs the initiative.

Immediately after Trump signed the executive order, three groups—the American Federation of Government Employees, National Security Counselors, and Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington — launched separate lawsuits against the DOGE. These lawsuits accuse DOGE of violating the Federal Advisory Committee Act  by operating without the necessary transparency, balanced representation, and public accountability.

(Featured Image Media Credit: Screenshot/Fox News)

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