Latest news with #FiscalService
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
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 modifying her order. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
07-03-2025
- Business
- The Hill
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.
Yahoo
04-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
A List Of Folks Carrying Out the Dirtiest of Elon Musk's DOGE Work
The Department of Government Efficiency, led by billionaire Elon Musk, has wreaked havoc ever since forming under Donald Trump's second presidential term. The agency's extensive layoffs within the federal government had have damning consequences. Now, publications like The New York Times and ProPublica have identified dozens of DOGE employees. Here are some of Musk's workers who have no problem carrying out his dirty work. Smith served in numerous health-related policy roles during the first Trump administration before leading DOGE (alongside Steve Davis) during the presidential transition. He is also a friend of Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law. Gleason was a part of the first Trump administration where she worked at the United States Digital Service (which was later absorbed by DOGE). She also worked with Brad Smith at an investment firm focused on health companies before being named the administrator of DOGE. Ramada possesses a background in finance start-ups. In lawsuits, he has identified himself as the lead when it comes to Education and Labor Department issues. Ramada has also been referred to as a liaison between Elon Musk's engineers and political officials. Krause will help lead DOGE's efforts to gain access to sensitive federal payment systems to help Musk identify and get rid of 'wasteful' spending. According to the Treasury Department, Krause and his team have 'read-only' access to the agency's Fiscal Service payment system, which processes payments for vital programs like Social Security and Medicare. Elez is a one of Musk's former X employees, who now has access to the Treasury Department's payments system as part of the DOGE team. A series of racist social media posts led him to resign from the agency last month, but Elez was immediately rehired after JD Vance defended him. This billionaire Airbnb cofounder once supported Democrats in the past, but now is a Trump supporter. Gebbia also is an ally of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. He shared on social media that his first DOGE project would be 'improving the slow and paper-based retirement process.' Grimes' background includes overseeing tech investment banking at Morgan Stanley. He played a crucial role in helping to finance Musk's $44 billion takeover of Twitter in 2022. Davis has been a close friend of Musk for two decades. He has worked with Musk at SpaceX, X and the Boring Company. Davis was also one of the first people to be reportedly associated with DOGE last year. Young is not only a former lobbyist for the pharmaceutical industry, but he also once worked for Louisiana Republican Gov. Bobby Jindal. Last year, Musk reportedly hired Young to start a grassroots political organization focused on voter turnout. Scales first received attention in the first week of Trump's presidency over a memo barring diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in the federal government (she served as a point of contact for questions). She used to work at xAI, Musk's artificial intelligence company, and will help restructure the federal workforce. Lewin is a Harvard Law School graduate who oversees grants across government and works as DOGE's agency lead for the State Department and U.S.A.I.D. He plays a crucial role as Musk destroys U.S.A.I.D., stripping countries of valuable life-saving resources. Raynor is DOGE's lawyer who previously clerked for Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. He was once a member of the conservative Federalist Society and worked on the Virginia Law Review. Raynor believes Trump has the legal right to challenge the concept of birthright citizenship. According to records reviewed by ProPublica, Balajadia is Musk's assistant. She had previously worked as the operations coordinator at The Boring Company for seven years. For the latest news, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Yahoo
17-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
DOGE sets up IRS, SEC accounts on X
The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has set up accounts on the social platform X for the IRS and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), seeking 'insights on finding and fixing waste, fraud and abuse' at the two agencies. Elon Musk, who is leading DOGE's efforts to cut trillions of dollars in government spending, reposted messages from both accounts Monday. The new X accounts come as the DOGE team is reportedly seeking access to a sensitive IRS system, known as the Integrated Data Retrieval System (IDRS), that the agency uses to access taxpayer accounts. Two top Democrats, Sens. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), wrote to acting IRS Commissioner Douglas O'Donnell on Monday, asking for information about DOGE's access to the sensitive IRS system and voicing concerns about potential privacy violations. 'No executive order requiring agency heads to provide DOGE personnel access to IRS records or information technology systems supersedes the federal tax code,' they wrote. 'Software engineers working for Musk seeking to gain access to tax return information have no right to hoover up taxpayer data and send that data back to any other part of the federal government and may be breaking the law if they are doing so,' the senators continued. As the DOGE team has moved from agency to agency on its cost-cutting mission, it has frequently sought access to technological infrastructure, sparking concerns over data privacy and security. Late last month, DOGE staffers clashed with longtime Treasury official David Lebryk as they sought access to a sensitive federal payment system at the agency. Lebryk, who served as acting Treasury secretary before Scott Bessent's confirmation, was placed on leave and ultimately resigned. Two DOGE-affiliated employees, tech executive Tom Krause and 25-year-old Marko Elez, received access to the system known as the Fiscal Service, which handles 90 percent of federal payments. While they were meant to receive read-only access, Elez 'mistakenly' received read and write access for a brief period in early February, a recent court filing revealed. However, Elez never utilized the write privileges to make any changes to the system, a Treasury official wrote in a declaration to the court. Elez resigned shortly after, when The Wall Street Journal resurfaced several racist social media posts he made from a now-deleted account. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
17-02-2025
- Business
- The Hill
DOGE sets up IRS, SEC accounts on X
The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has set up X accounts for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), seeking 'insights on finding and fixing waste, fraud and abuse' at the two agencies. Elon Musk, who is leading DOGE's efforts to cut trillions of dollars in government spending, reposted messages from both accounts Monday. The new X accounts come as the DOGE team is reportedly seeking access to a sensitive IRS system, known as the Integrated Data Retrieval System (IDRS), that the agency uses to access taxpayer accounts. Two top Democrats, Sens. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), wrote to acting IRS commissioner Douglas O'Donnell on Monday, asking for information about DOGE's access to the sensitive IRS system and voicing concerns about potential privacy violations. 'No executive order requiring agency heads to provide DOGE personnel access to IRS records or information technology systems supersedes the federal tax code,' they wrote. 'Software engineers working for Musk seeking to gain access to tax return information have no right to hoover up taxpayer data and send that data back to any other part of the federal government and may be breaking the law if they are doing so,' the senators continued. As the DOGE team has moved from agency to agency on its cost-cutting mission, it has frequently sought access to technological infrastructure, sparking concerns over data privacy and security. Late last month, DOGE staffers clashed with longtime Treasury official David Lebryk as they sought access to a sensitive federal payment system at the agency. Lebryk, who served as acting Treasury secretary before Scott Bessent's confirmation, was placed on leave and ultimately resigned. Two DOGE-affiliated employees, tech executive Tom Krause and 25-year-old Marko Elez, received access to the system known as the Fiscal Service, which handles 90 percent of federal payments. While they were meant to receive read-only access, Elez 'mistakenly' received read and write access for a brief period in early February, a recent court filing revealed. However, Elez never utilized the write privileges to make any changes to the system, a Treasury official wrote in a declaration to the court.
