Judge temporarily blocks DOGE's access to government payments system

2025-02-08 15:14:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

A federal judge blocked the Department of Government Efficiency, led by entrepreneur Elon Musk, from accessing Treasury Department data, which includes personal information such as payment systems or bank accounts for millions of Americans who work for the federal government.

Judge Paul Engelmayer issued the ruling early Saturday after 19 Democratic attorneys general sued President Donald Trump. The lawsuit, filed in federal court in New York City, alleges that the Trump administration allowed Musk's team to access the Treasury Department's payment system in violation of federal law.

Judge Engelmayer, who was appointed by President Barack Obama, also ruled that any individual who was not allowed to access the personal data but obtained it must immediately destroy all copies of the materials they obtained from Treasury Department systems, for the period beginning January 20.

The judge scheduled a hearing for February 14.

The White House did not respond to a request for comment from the Associated Press regarding the lawsuit filed by Democratic prosecutors.

The Department of Government Efficiency, also known as DOGE, led by Mr. Musk, was created to eliminate what the Trump administration has deemed wasteful government spending. The department’s access to Treasury records, as well as its scrutiny of various government agencies, has raised concerns among critics about Mr. Musk’s growing power, while supporters have welcomed the idea of ??shrinking the government’s bloated finances.

Mr. Musk has rejected criticism of DOGE on the X platform, while stating that it is saving millions of taxpayer dollars.

New York Attorney General Letitia James, whose office filed the lawsuit, said the Department of Government Efficiency's access to Treasury Department data raises security concerns and the possibility of an illegal freeze of federal funds.

The states also included in the lawsuit are: Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Wisconsin./ Voa