Federal judge rejects request to block DOGE staff from Treasury system
A federal judge on Friday rejected a request to block employees with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) from accessing a sensitive federal payment system at the Treasury Department.
U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly denied the request from the Alliance for Retired Americans and several employee unions, finding they failed to show they would face irreparable harm if the DOGE staff gained access.
'If Plaintiffs could show that Defendants imminently planned to make their private information public or to share that information with individuals outside the federal government with no obligation to maintain its confidentiality, the Court would not hesitate to find likelihood of irreparable harm,' Kollar-Kotelly wrote.
'But on the present record, Plaintiffs have not shown that Defendants have such a plan,' she continued.
The judge also lifted an earlier order that restricted access to the system, known as the Fiscal Service, which handles 90 percent of federal payments.
Her previous order allowed two DOGE-affiliated employees to receive read-only access to the payment system. This initially included Cloud Software Group CEO Tom Krause and 25-year-old Marko Elez.
After Elez resigned in early February, the order was updated to allow a new employee detailed to the Treasury Department, Ryan Wunderly, to receive access to the Fiscal Service.
Despite Kollar-Kotelly's decision Friday, another ruling remains in place blocking the DOGE team from the system.
In late February, U.S. District Judge Jeannette Vargas partially granted a request from 19 Democratic attorneys general, agreeing to bar the DOGE team from the Fiscal Service.
However, Vargas also offered the Trump administration a process through which they could eventually gain access.
If administration officials certify that DOGE staff have received proper training and share details about their vetting and security clearances, the judge said she would consider lifting or modiyfing her order.
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