US Justice Department agrees to order restricting Musk’s DOGE from accessing sensitive financial records

(MENAFN) The US Justice Department has agreed to a temporary order restricting Elon Musk’s Department of government Efficiency (DOGE) from accessing sensitive financial records at the Treasury Department. This decision follows a lawsuit from union members and retirees who accused the Treasury of unlawfully sharing private payment data with DOGE.

The proposed order prohibits the Treasury from providing DOGE access to payment records, except for two special government employees—Tom Krause and Marko Elez—who may access records on a "read-only" basis to carry out their duties. Krause, former CEO of Cloud Software Group, and Elez, an engineer at Musk’s X and SpaceX, will be the only employees granted limited access.

Justice Department lawyer Bradley Humphreys defended the Treasury’s actions, asserting that there were no plans to share personal data with Musk or any external entities. The restrictions will remain in place until a hearing scheduled for February 24, pending approval by US District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly.

The DOGE, created by Trump and headed by Musk, is tasked with reducing wasteful government spending. Musk has stated that he aims to reduce the federal deficit by $1 trillion, cutting $4 billion in spending daily.

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