Representative Aaron Bean (R-FL) discussed working with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) Caucus and the lawsuit filed against it in a recent appearance on Fox Business's Varney & Co., saying it demonstrated that "the Swamp will not go quietly into the night."
The lawsuits were filed almost immediately after President Donald Trump was sworn into office. The main contention is that DOGE is not an official government organization.
CBS gave more details, describing how the National Security Counselors argued that DOGE is acting as a federal advisory committee without approval from the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA).
According to Skye Perryman, CEO of Democracy Forward, representing the National Security Counselors, "DOGE must not be allowed to operate in the shadows without the transparency, oversight, and opportunity for public participation required of any federal department by the law."
After all, no federal employees are part of DOGE, and its founders, Elon Musk and outgoing Vivek Ramaswamy, have engaged in private meetings that are not open to the public despite working within the federal government.
In comments to the Washington Post, Sam Hammond, a pro-DOGE senior economist at the Foundation for American Innovation, said that the supposed Department is "a branding exercise" and will work within the White House, exempting it from FACA regulations.
Nevertheless, Rep. Bean said that the lawsuit demonstrated that "the Swamp will not go quietly into the night," adding that "there are going to be more lawsuits" that he predicted "are already on their way to being dismissed."
"This is like eight years ago," the Florida Congressman continued, "Remember when Trump was there? Everything he did was challenged by multiple courts. But Trump is a new Trump. It is a Trump 2.0, it is a new version, and he is already outplaying [the Swamp] in the game of chess."
Moreover, Bean called it "exciting" to work with the DOGE Caucus, further saying, "We have told the parties on both sides that we will not agree on everything, but perhaps there are things we can agree on, and that is what we are focusing on as we go forward right now."
