WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — A United States (US) judge on Monday ordered billionaire Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to release its internal documents, saying the agency’s work to slash the size of government has been marked by “unusual secrecy”.

Since his return to the White House in January, US President Donald Trump has launched a vast offensive aimed at cutting public spending and reducing the role of the federal government.

To that end, he tapped Musk, a top campaign donor turned senior adviser, to lead DOGE, which has cut thousands of government jobs and upended agencies — prompting numerous lawsuits.

US District Judge Christopher Cooper said the authority exercised by DOGE “across the federal government and the dramatic cuts it has apparently made with no congressional input appear to be unprecedented”.

He added in his court opinion that the “rapid pace” of DOGE’s actions “requires the quick release of information about its structure and activities”.

The judge said this was “especially so given the secrecy with which (DOGE) has operated”.

Cooper argued that the entity is “likely covered” by the Freedom of Information Act and said “the public would be irreparably harmed by an indefinite delay in unearthing the records”.

Last week, President Trump responded to growing criticism over unprecedented cuts to the US government overseen by DOGE, saying they should be carefully targeted.

Judge Cooper’s order requires Trump’s government to file a status report on the production of documents by March 20, and to confer with the plaintiffs on a joint report, including a timeline, by March 27.