Updated Feb 6, 2025 - Business

DOGE's Treasury access limited amid privacy lawsuit

Rebecca Falconer

A demonstrator holds up a sign during a rally in front of the U.S. Treasury Department in protest of Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency on February 4, 2025 in Washington, DC. — A demonstrator holds up a sign during a rally in front of the U.S. Treasury Department in protest of Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency in Washington, D.C., on Thursday. Photo: Anna Rose Layden/Getty Images

A federal judge signed an order on Thursday temporarily restricting the Elon Musk-headed Department of Government Efficiency's access to sensitive Treasury payment system information.

Why it matters: The order limits Treasury Department employees affiliated with DOGE to just two individuals with "read-only" access to the data. This comes in response to a lawsuit aiming at blocking DOGE's access to sensitive information.

State of play: U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly, who is overseeing the case in Washington, D.C., signed the order, which Department of Justice lawyers earlier agreed to on Wednesday.

The big picture: The suit that was brought by three federal employees unions alleges Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent allowed DOGE representatives to illegally access the Bureau of the Fiscal Service, which manages the U.S. government's accounting, central payment systems and public debt.

The order permits Tom Krause and Marko Elez, who are described in the proposal as "special government employees" in the Treasury Department, access as needed for the performance of their duties, "provided that such access to payment records will be 'read only.'"
Per the order, the "Defendants will not provide access to any payment record or payment system of records maintained by or within the Bureau of the Fiscal Service."

Yes, but: Elez reportedly resigned on Thursday after some racist social media posts were unearthed.

Representatives for the Trump administration did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment in the evening.

Zoom out: DOGE was established to cut government spending and streamline bureaucracy.

It's facing several lawsuits over access to data and what kinds of disclosures it does or doesn't have to make.
The latest suit was filed on Wednesday by a coalition of labor groups seeking to stop DOGE visiting the Labor Department and gaining access to some of the world's most vital macroeconomic data.

Meanwhile, Democratic congressional leaders sent letters to the Trump administration this week demanding answers on the security implications of DOGE's access to sensitive government databases and the legality of the department's work.

Go deeper: Musk team's access to Treasury records raises a row

Editor's note: This article has been updated with details of the judge signing the order, details of Marko Elez's reported resignation and further context.

Lauren Floyd contributed reporting.

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DOGE's Treasury access limited amid privacy lawsuit

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