The US Department of Justice has agreed to temporarily restrict Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) team’s access to sensitive Treasury payment system information. The proposed order limits two Treasury Department employees affiliated with DOGE to “read only” privileges in viewing the data.
The move comes in response to a lawsuit filed by three federal employees’ unions, which alleges that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent allowed DOGE representatives to illegally access Bureau of the Fiscal Service data. The bureau manages the US government’s accounting, central payment systems, and public debt.
DOGE team members Tom Krause and Marko Elez will be permitted access to payment records for performance of their duties, but not to any payment system of records. US District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly must sign off on the DOJ’s proposed order.
Democratic lawmakers have raised concerns about the security implications of DOGE’s potentially unsanctioned access to sensitive government databases. The lawsuit seeks to block DOGE’s access to sensitive information, and questions remain about the legality of their work, including proper security clearances and potential federal privacy law violations.
Source: https://www.axios.com/2025/02/06/doge-treasury-payments-system-access-trump-musk