Judges will consider blocking Musk’s DOGE team from accessing US federal networks

The question of whether Elon Musk’s government cost-cutting group, DOGE, will have access to Treasury Department payment systems and perhaps private information at U.S. labor, consumer protection, and health agencies will be heard by two federal courts on Friday.

Since Republican Donald Trump took office last month, the Department of Government Efficiency, led by Musk, has swept through federal agencies. Part of Trump’s radical government reform, the CEO of Tesla (TSLA.O), opens a new tab, is tasked with identifying and eliminating wasteful spending.

He imposed a temporary ban on DOGE on Saturday, preventing Musk’s team from accessing Treasury systems that handle trillions of dollars’ worth of payments. Democratic state attorneys general are asking U.S. District Judge Paul Engelmayer in Manhattan to prolong the block.

Musk’s team is accused by the states of lacking the legal authority to access payment networks that hold millions of Americans’ private information.

Trump might use the information to advance his political agenda, according to the complaint, and Musk and his team could interfere with federal financing for organizations like health clinics, preschools, and climate efforts.

A plea by unions to bar the DOGE team from accessing private documents at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the Labor Department, and the Department of Health and Human Services will be heard by U.S. District Judge John Bates in Washington.

In a decision last week that favored the Trump administration, Bates rejected a similar motion. Following an amendment to their case, the unions have reaffirmed that request.

On Thursday, a similar coalition of Democratic attorneys general filed a lawsuit against Musk, Trump, and DOGE, claiming that Musk’s appointment was unlawful. Among other things, the attorneys general requested that a federal judge in Washington prohibit him from accessing and utilizing government data, terminating contracts, or making personnel decisions.

Although the president stated he would follow court orders, Musk and other Trump supporters have called for the impeachment of judges after the courts denied the majority of Trump’s legally challenged efforts.

Trump’s administration has substantially reduced the United States’ international aid program and proceeded with mass firings of federal employees despite some efforts being halted in court. However, the cost-cutting seems to be concentrated on programs that political conservatives detest.