Key points
- Musk’s DOGE blocked from treasury data in state AGs lawsuit
- Court order to last until Feb 14
- Trump defends Musk’s actions
ISLAMABAD: A federal judge temporarily blocked Elon Musk’s government efficiency team from accessing some Treasury Department information and ordered the destruction of data they’ve already gathered in response to a lawsuit from a group of states.
According to Bloomberg, US District Judge Paul Engelmayer in Manhattan issued the temporary restraining order hours after 19 mostly Democratic-led states filed the suit against President Donald Trump and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.
The order will remain in place until the judge rules on a longer lasting injunction sought by the states. He set a hearing for February 14.
British news agency Reuters reported that the lawsuit in Manhattan federal court said Musk and his team could disrupt federal funding for health clinics, preschools, climate initiatives, and other programmes, and that Republican President Donald Trump could use the information to further his political agenda.
Cybersecurity risks
DOGE’s access to the system also “poses huge cybersecurity risks that put vast amounts of funding for the States and their residents in peril,” the attorneys general said.
The White House and the Treasury Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment, Reuters said.
Trump deputised Musk to lead DOGE to identify fraud and waste in the government. Musk’s efforts have alarmed Democrats and advocacy groups who say he is overstepping his authority by seeking to dismantle agencies responsible for critical government programs and fire federal workers en masse, the news agency said.
The lawsuit names Trump and the Treasury Department as defendants. James was joined by the attorneys general of California, Illinois, Massachusetts, Washington, and New Jersey, among other states.
“Access must be read-only”
In a separate lawsuit by unions claiming Musk’s team is violating privacy laws by accessing the payment systems, a federal judge on Thursday ordered the Treasury to limit access to two “special government employees” and said their access must be read-only.
