A federal judge has extended a ban preventing Elon Musk’s government cost-cutting team from accessing payment systems at the U.S. Treasury Department, while another judge has granted the team access to records at several other federal agencies.
Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has been sweeping through federal agencies since Republican Donald Trump became president last month. The president appointed the Tesla CEO to spearhead efforts to root out wasteful spending as part of a dramatic government overhaul, which included thousands of job cuts announced on Friday.
In Manhattan, U.S. District Judge Jeannette Vargas extended a temporary block on DOGE that was put in place last Saturday. This block prevents Musk’s team from accessing Treasury systems responsible for trillions of dollars in payments. Judge Vargas stated she would not yet rule on a request from 19 Democratic state attorneys general for a longer-lasting injunction on DOGE’s access to these systems.
The attorneys general argue that Musk’s team lacks legal authority to access sensitive payment systems containing personal information on millions of Americans. They expressed concerns that DOGE’s involvement could disrupt funding for essential services like health clinics and preschools.
The White House has not commented on the matter. Musk and other Trump allies have criticized judges ruling against the DOGE team, though the president has stated he would comply with court orders.
In Washington, U.S. District Judge John Bates declined a request by unions and nonprofits to temporarily block DOGE from accessing records at the Departments of Labor and Health and Human Services, as well as the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Judge Bates indicated that DOGE could be considered a government agency, allowing it to assign its staff to other departments. However, he noted the ambiguity in DOGE’s status, remarking that it seemed to be “not an agency when it is burdensome but an agency when it is convenient.”
Musk reacted to the ruling on his X social media platform, formerly known as Twitter, reposting a message that declared, “This is a HUGE win!”
At other court hearings on Friday, judges refrained from making immediate decisions on requests to block or extend orders barring DOGE’s access to government systems. U.S. District Judge Randolph Moss considered a request by the University of California Student Association to extend a temporary block on DOGE from accessing Department of Education systems. The students claim that such access would violate privacy and administrative procedure laws. Judge Moss indicated he would issue a decision by Monday.
The Trump administration argues that DOGE’s access is crucial for reducing waste, fraud, and abuse in student loan programs, aligning with the president and Musk’s assertion that the Department of Education should be eliminated. “What does that mean, fraud, waste, and abuse?” Judge Moss asked during the hearing. “I expect if you ask Elon Musk, he would say the entire Department of Education is waste.”
