A US federal judge issued an emergency order on Saturday, February 8, 2024, blocking the Department for Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Elon Musk, from accessing the US Treasury Department's payment system control. The temporary restraining order, valid until a hearing scheduled for February 14, also mandates the destruction of any data downloaded from Treasury records since Donald Trump took office.
The order follows a lawsuit filed by 19 state attorneys general against Trump, the Treasury Department, and its secretary, Scott Bessent. The lawsuit alleges that the administration violated the law by granting DOGE personnel access to sensitive Treasury data.
Musk, the world's richest man, has been a key figure in the Trump administration's efforts to cut federal spending through the DOGE, a newly established commission tasked with advising the US president on government restructuring.
Last week, Musk faced controversy after reports emerged that he and his team had accessed confidential Treasury data. An internal Treasury Department assessment labeled the DOGE team's access to federal payment systems as "the greatest internal threat the Bureau of Fiscal Service has ever faced," according to US media reports.