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A federal judge has banned the US Treasury from sharing data from its payment system with third parties, in response to the activities of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), headed by billionaire Elon Musk, the Financial Times reports.
It is noted that DOGE advocates for reducing government spending. Although this structure is not a federal executive department, it had access to US Treasury data.
The publication noted that Judge Colleen Collar-Cotelli granted a temporary restraining order after Elon Musk boasted that his team was rapidly cutting Treasury transfers, gaining access to a system that spends trillions of dollars annually, including on Social Security and Medicare payments (the national health insurance program in the United States for people over 65 years old).
The billionaire's statement led to lawsuits filed by representatives of civil servants and retirees, demanding that DOGE be stripped of access to confidential Treasury data, the publication added.
Despite the fact that the administration of US President Donald Trump assured the court that only two DOGE emissaries – the head of the Cloud Software group Tom Krause and 25-year-old programmer Marco Elez – had access to the confidential data, the judge still obtained an order prohibiting the transfer of any information outside the Treasury. The publication said that this restriction will remain in effect while she considers the possibility of issuing a more permanent injunction.
Journalists also recalled that Trump told American citizens that Elon Musk would not be able to conduct his activities within the framework of DOGE without administration approval. This information was confirmed by White House press secretary Caroline Leavitt, adding that the billionaire “obeys all laws.”
Musk and the White House – important news
Earlier, US President Donald Trump announced a number of restrictions that prevent billionaire Elon Musk from taking any action in the government without White House approval. The words were spoken to reporters in the Oval Office just hours after the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) initiated the closure of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
In addition, Trump's chief of staff Susie Wiles denied Musk an office in the White House. It is noted that his controversial figure has become a convenient target for Democrats.
