Federal judge limits DOGE's access to Treasury records

In a Thursday morning court order, a federal judge in Washington, DC blocked Elon Musk and "special government employees" working with the Department of Government Efficiency from accessing sensitive Treasury Department payment records.

US District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly ordered that Treasury not allow "access to any payment record or payment system of records maintained by or within the Bureau of the Fiscal Service, except that the defendants may provide access to any of the following people:" Special Government Employees in the Department of the Treasury Tom Krause and Marko Elez, as well as "any person who is an employee (but not a Special Government Employee) of the Department of the Treasury and who has a need for the record or system of records in performance of their duties."

Justice Department attorney Bradley Humphreys said in a Wednesday phone hearing that the two employees were allowed read-only access to help carry out policies set by DOGE, and the government agreed in a Wednesday night filing not to expand their access to the system or share information they have outside of the Treasury Department. According to the Wall Street Journal, Krause and Elez are allies of Musk.

The ruling was in the case brought forth by the Alliance for Retired Americans, the American Federation of Government Employees, and the Service Employees International Union, who alleged that providing access to the system violated federal law, per Roll Call.

The complaint stated that the Treasury Department "decided behind closed doors to allow individuals not involved in the processing of the government’s financial transactions to root around in the Bureau’s records. Giving access to those records is unlawful."

During the hearing, the judge questioned government attorneys about who has access to the system. Kollar-Kotelly said, "The arrangement with the different entities is not easily discerned, which is why I’ve been asking the questions. It does make a difference. The paucity of information in the public sector makes it more difficult."