A federal appeals court is allowing billionaire Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency to once again access people’s private data at the Education Department, the Treasury Department and the Office of Personnel Management.
By LEA SKENE, Associated Press
BALTIMORE An appeals court on Monday cleared the way for billionaire Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency to once again access people’s private data at three federal agencies, a win for the Trump administration as the underlying lawsuit plays out.
In a split ruling, the three-judge panel blocked a lower court decision that halted DOGE access at the Education Department, the Treasury Department and the Office of Personnel Management. U.S. District Judge Deborah Boardman issued a preliminary injunction last month in federal court in Baltimore, saying the government failed to adequately explain why DOGE needed the information to perform its job duties.
Led by the American Federation of Teachers, the plaintiffs allege the Trump administration violated federal privacy laws when it gave DOGE access to systems with personal information on tens of millions of Americans without their consent, including people’s income and asset information, Social Security numbers, birth dates, home addresses and marital and citizenship status.
The Trump administration says DOGE is targeting waste across the federal government by addressing alleged fraud and upgrading technology.
