A judge has imposed temporary restrictions on the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), limiting its access to the US Treasury’s highly sensitive payment system. This follows reports that associates of Elon Musk’s DOGE attempted to block USAID payments through the system.
This is the first injunction that has constrained DOGE’s activities, the first legal hurdle the group faces after it began its recent spree of disrupting federal processes. During the last fortnight, DOGE has been actively working towards shutting down USAID and bringing chaos to the federal bureaucracy.
The court ruling addresses claims from federal employee unions that DOGE accessed personal employee data through the Treasury in violation of the law. The judge granted access to two DOGE associates on a read-only basis, but further legal proceedings have limited the scope of access.
