Judicial Review · Government · Policy Analysis·February 21, 2025
Federal courts block DOGE from accessing Treasury payment data for 300 million Americans
Nineteen state attorneys general sued to stop Elon Musk's team from reading Social Security numbers, bank accounts, and tax data stored in the Bureau of Fiscal Service — and two federal judges agreed
DOGE operatives accessed the Bureau of Fiscal Service on January 31, 2025 without standard background checks required of career Treasury staff
The Bureau of Fiscal Service processes roughly $6 trillion per year and stores SSNs, bank account numbers, and home addresses of virtually every American who has received a federal payment
19 state attorneys general sued within hours of access being granted, citing Privacy Act of 1974 violations
Judge Vargas described the process as chaotic and haphazard in her February 21 preliminary injunction ruling
DOGE has no statutory authority — Congress never passed a law creating it as a federal agency
Related Topics
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DOGE access to Treasury payment systems triggers lawsuits and court limits
State attorneys general and unions challenge access to sensitive federal payment data
Two DOGE team members at Social Security Administration contacted outside group seeking to overturn election results
DOGE staffers signed agreement with group targeting voter rolls
DOGE Treasury payment-system access raises appropriations and privacy concerns
Bureau of Fiscal Service systems process payments Congress and agencies authorize
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