WASHINGTON, Feb 8: A federal judge issued a ruling early Saturday, preventing Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency from accessing sensitive Treasury Department records containing personal information, such as Social Security and bank account numbers, for millions of Americans.
U.S. District Judge Paul Engelmayer delivered the order following a lawsuit filed by 19 Democratic attorneys general against President Donald Trump.
The lawsuit, lodged in federal court in New York City, claims the Trump administration unlawfully granted Musk’s team access to the Treasury Department’s central payment system.
This payment system is responsible for managing tax refunds, Social Security benefits, veterans’ benefits, and other payments, dispersing trillions of dollars each year, while hosting a vast array of personal and financial information belonging to Americans.
Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, was established to identify and eliminate what the Trump administration views as wasteful government spending. (AP)
