Federal Judge Blocks Elon Musk's DOGE Access To Sensitive Treasury Payment Records

A federal judge has issued a temporary restraining order, blocking billionaire Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) from accessing certain Treasury Department payment records. Amidst the ongoing debate over government transparency and accountability, the federal judge's move is considered to be a crucial decision.

According to the order, Treasury officials "will not provide access to any payment record or payment system of records maintained within the Bureau (Treasury) of Fiscal Service," as written by Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly. The judge's order effectively prevents the DOGE from obtaining sensitive financial information.

The program handles an estimated 90% of federal payments. The order comes after the Justice Department on Wednesday agreed in a proposed court order to limit access to the sensitive records to only two "special government employees" within DOGE, who will have read-only permission. Kollar-Kotelly approved the motion in a brief order Thursday.

Several government employee unions brought suit over who could access the material as part of a government-wide evaluation of programs and systems, led by DOGE.

The lawsuit claimed Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent allowed improper access to Elon Musk’s team, potentially exposing personal financial information to unauthorized individuals.

Under the order, only Musk ally Tom Krause, CEO of Cloud Software Group, and Marko Elez, an engineer and former Musk company employee, will continue to have access to Treasury’s Fiscal Service, but they will not be allowed to make any changes to the program.

The order identifies both Krause and Elez as "Special Government Employees in the Department of the Treasury."

Meanwhile, the temporary restraining order raises important questions about the balance between government transparency and the protection of sensitive financial information. The experts stated that the DOGE may argue that accessing these records is essential for their work, others may see this as an overreach of power.

Meanwhile, the Treasury Department's payment records remain off-limits to the DOGE.