Last time I checked, Elon Musk was never in the 2024 presidential race—but Donald Trump has granted the unelected tech billionaire and private citizen unprecedented power in his administration, causing chaos and upheaval among multiple federal agencies. Here’s the latest.

Anti-democratic actions

• “Special government employee” Musk and his not-very-real Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) were given access to sensitive databases and the Department of Treasury’s payment system, NBC News reported.
• After union groups sued the Treasury Department, the Justice Department agreed to temporarily restrict DOGE members’ access to the Treasury’s payment system, according to NBC News.
• The White House confirmed to NPR that it is working on an executive action to dismantle the Department of Education.

Reproductive rights

• In an executive order aimed at “eradicating anti-Christian bias,” Trump claimed that there were widespread attacks on “crisis pregnancy centers,” which he referred to as “pro-life centers.”

LGBTQ+ rights

• Trump signed an executive order banning transgender girls and women from participating in women’s sports.
• Following the order, the National Collegiate Athletic Association barred trans women from competing in women’s sports.
• On February 7, the Office of the Solicitor General sent a letter to a Supreme Court clerk regarding the pending case United States v. Skrmetti, which challenges Tennessee’s ban on gender-affirming care for minors. In the letter, Deputy Solicitor General Curtis Gannon said it’s the government’s position that the ban in question doesn’t discriminate on the basis of sex or any other characteristic, and that the Trump administration wouldn’t have challenged the Tennessee law.

Immigration

• U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi launched a federal lawsuit against Chicago and Illinois over sanctuary city policies, arguing that they prevent federal officials from enforcing immigration laws, NBC News reported.

Health and science

• Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he is the acting director of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), which has historically operated as an independent agency.
• The Trump administration sent a directive putting nearly all USAID staff on administrative leave beginning February 7 at 11:59 p.m. The notice was also posted to USAID’s website. USAID unions have sued the administration, arguing that only Congress has the authority to shut down federal agencies.
• On February 7, a federal judge paused the midnight administrative leave deadline, NBC News reported.
• Musk has been actively targeting USAID: The USAID website went down on February 1 and its account on X, which is owned by Musk, was deleted, NPR reported.
• Trump signed an executive order declaring the U.S. will not participate in the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC). The order also withdrew funding from the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East and UNHRC.

DEI and civil rights

• Inside Higher Ed reported that scientists relying on federal funding have had their grants paused or revoked as science agencies try to comply with recent executive orders banning diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts in the federal government.
• According to Inside Higher Ed, The National Science Foundation (NSF), the National Institutes of Health, and other federal science agencies are combing through thousands of research projects to identify any mentions of flagged terms, such as “women,” “institutional,” “male-dominated,” and “historically,” in an effort to comply with Trump’s anti-DEI executive orders.;
• A January 31 court order directed NSF and other federal agencies that provide grant money to resume payments of existing awards and obligations.