A federal judge has extended a ban preventing Elon Musk’s cost-cutting task force, DOGE, from accessing U.S. Treasury systems, raising concerns over security and legal authority.
The ruling, issued by U.S. District Judge Jeannette Vargas in Manhattan, grants a preliminary injunction in favor of 19 Democratic-led states suing to block DOGE’s entry into systems that oversee trillions in government payments. The states argue that Musk’s team has no legal right to handle such data and warn of potential exposure of sensitive financial information.
Vargas sided with the states, stating that the Treasury Department failed to assess the full risks. “The urgency and lack of preparation surrounding DOGE’s rollout made chaos inevitable,” she wrote.
New York Attorney General Letitia James, leading the lawsuit, hailed the ruling as a safeguard against “unelected and unvetted individuals like Elon Musk” interfering with public funds.
The legal battle is just one of several surrounding DOGE’s push for greater federal access. Courts in Washington, D.C., recently allowed Musk’s team to review records at health, labor, and consumer protection agencies, while another judge declined to block DOGE from influencing federal firings.
Trump administration officials argue that blocking DOGE hampers efficiency efforts in line with the president’s directives, claiming the lawsuit oversteps constitutional boundaries by interfering with executive decisions. The Treasury Department and White House have yet to respond to the ruling.
