Latest news with #UCStudentAssn.
Yahoo
12-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Judge sides with UC students, blocks DOGE from Education Department loan data
Lawyers representing the Trump administration agreed Tuesday to temporarily stop the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency from accessing student loan and financial aid information after a University of California group filed a federal lawsuit seeking a halt to the actions. The move, approved by U.S. District Judge Randolph D. Moss of the District of Columbia, will be in place through Monday as both sides prepare arguments in the case. The decision marks at least a temporary setback for Musk's DOGE associates, whom President Trump tapped to slash federal government spending. Democrats accuse the group — not a federal department despite its name — of illegally barreling its way through government agencies. Read more: UC students sue Education Department over DOGE's access to private financial aid data DOGE is still working within the Education Department but will be restricted for less than a week from more than a dozen internal systems related to student data. Concern over DOGE actions grew this week after education researchers and industry groups reported that more than 169 contracts and $900 million in spending were cut from the department's Institute of Education Sciences. The institute tracks the progress of American students through programs including the National Assessment of Educational Progress, known as the nation's report card, and the College Scorecard, a database of university costs and outcomes. A department spokeswoman said Tuesday those programs would not be affected by the court decision. The UC Student Assn., which represents undergraduates across nine campuses, filed its lawsuit Friday. The suit alleges that the Education Department is violating the Privacy Act of 1974, which broadly bars it from sharing personal information with third parties. The group asked the court to halt DOGE affiliates' access to student data. Read more: 'Shadow government'? Billionaire Elon Musk's grip on U.S. government spending raises questions Moss, appointed by President Obama, did not indicate Tuesday that he agreed with the student arguments. The National Student Legal Defense Network and the Public Citizen Litigation Group, which are representing the student association, said in a statement that they "look forward to putting a permanent end to these egregious violations. ... Millions of students still are questioning whether their personal information is in unsafe hands, and we need answers from the Department of Education to fully account for any data that's already been breached.' The UC Student Assn. is seeking a temporary restraining order against DOGE while the suit proceeds. The suit comes as tensions are growing over the future of the department, which gives out billions in grants for K-12 school programs and administers more than $1.5 trillion in federal student loans for 43 million Americans. Trump has pledged to eliminate the department and said last week that he wants his Education secretary nominee, Linda McMahon, to 'put herself out of a job.' McMahon's Senate confirmation hearing is scheduled for Thursday. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
12-02-2025
- Business
- Los Angeles Times
Judge sides with UC students, blocks DOGE from Education Department loan data
Lawyers representing the Trump administration agreed Tuesday to temporarily stop the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency from accessing student loan and financial aid information after a University of California group filed a federal lawsuit seeking a halt to the actions. The move, approved by U.S. District Judge Randolph D. Moss of the District of Columbia, will be in place through Monday as both sides prepare arguments in the case. The decision marks at least a temporary setback for Musk's DOGE associates, whom President Trump tapped to slash federal government spending. Democrats accuse the group — not a federal department despite its name — of illegally barreling its way through government agencies. DOGE is still working within the Education Department but will be restricted for less than a week from more than a dozen internal systems related to student data. Concern over DOGE actions grew this week after education researchers and industry groups reported that more than 169 contracts and $900 million in spending were cut from the department's Institute of Education Sciences. The institute tracks the progress of American students through programs including the National Assessment of Educational Progress, known as the nation's report card, and the College Scorecard, a database of university costs and outcomes. A department spokeswoman said Tuesday those programs would not be affected by the court decision. The UC Student Assn., which represents undergraduates across nine campuses, filed its lawsuit Friday. The suit alleges that the Education Department is violating the Privacy Act of 1974, which broadly bars it from sharing personal information with third parties. The group asked the court to halt DOGE affiliates' access to student data. Moss, appointed by President Obama, did not indicate Tuesday that he agreed with the student arguments. The National Student Legal Defense Network and the Public Citizen Litigation Group, which are representing the student association, said in a statement that they 'look forward to putting a permanent end to these egregious violations. ... Millions of students still are questioning whether their personal information is in unsafe hands, and we need answers from the Department of Education to fully account for any data that's already been breached.' The UC Student Assn. is seeking a temporary restraining order against DOGE while the suit proceeds. The suit comes as tensions are growing over the future of the department, which gives out billions in grants for K-12 school programs and administers more than $1.5 trillion in federal student loans for 43 million Americans. Trump has pledged to eliminate the department and said last week that he wants his Education secretary nominee, Linda McMahon, to 'put herself out of a job.' McMahon's Senate confirmation hearing is scheduled for Thursday. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Yahoo
08-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
UC students sue education department over DOGE's access to private financial aid data
A University of California group representing undergraduates across nine campuses is suing the U.S. Department of Education, accusing it of illegally giving DOGE, the advisory group led by Elon Musk, access to private financial aid data. The suit by the UC Student Assn. was filed Monday in U.S District Court in Washington, D.C., and alleges that the education department is violating the Privacy Act of 1974, which broadly bars it from sharing personal information with third parties. It asks a federal judge to halt the alleged access of Department of Government Efficiency affiliates have to student data. Aditi Hariharan, president of the UC Student Assn., said in a statement students "did not consent to having our personal information shared with an unelected and noncongressionally approved entity." The suit comes as tensions are growing over the future of the department, which gives out billions in grants for K-12 schooling programs and administers more than $1.5 trillion in federal student loans for 43 million Americans. Trump has pledged to eliminate the department and said this week that he wants his education secretary nominee, Linda McMahon, to "put herself out of a job" McMahon's Senate confirmation hearing is scheduled for Thursday. Reached Friday, a spokesman for the education department said that it does not comment on pending litigation. The spokesman did not respond to a follow-up question about whether DOGE members had access to the department or financial aid information. A report this week in the Washington Post, citing anonymous sources, said roughly 20 members of Musk's team were were working within the department. Speaking to The Times on Friday, a career civil servant in education said it was "widely known" that DOGE had department access. The person spoke anonymously because they were not authorized to talk to media. Read more: Trump poised to diminish the education department; fate of financial aid, equity grants uncertain The possibility that private financial information is being accessed by DOGE has alarmed students. "When students apply for financial aid, they enter their Social Security number on an application, or agree to take out a federal loan, they are trusting that their information will be secure,' said Hariharan, a UC Davis senior majoring in political science and nutrition science. 'Releasing student loan borrowers' personal data is an incredible betrayal by our government." The National Student Legal Defense Network and the Public Citizen Litigation Group are representing the student association. "Defendants' action granting DOGE-affiliated individuals continuous and ongoing access to that information for an unspecified period of time means that millions of Americans from all walks of life have no assurance that their sensitive information — and that of their parents and/or spouses — will receive the protection that federal law affords," said the suit, filed against Acting Education Secretary Denise Carter and the department. "Because defendants' actions and decisions are shrouded in secrecy, individuals do not have even basic information about what personal or financial information defendants are sharing with outside parties or how their information is being used,' it added. On Friday, dozens of Congressional Democrats led by California members said they were shut out of education headquarters after showing up to protest Trump's stated goal of shutting down the department and DOGE's reported access to information. The group of at least 30 representatives — including California's Mark Takano (D-Riverside), Maxine Waters (D-Los Angeles), Luz Rivas (D-Los Angeles) and Lateefah Simon (D-Oakland) — said they came to the building after writing to the acting education secretary to demand a meeting over Trump's education plans. Takano, a Democrat on the Republican-led House Committee on Education and the Workforce, said in an interview that it was "an outrage that billionaire Elon Musk can get his minions into the department but that we, members of Congress who have an oversight role, cannot." Read more: Trump's order on antisemitism and 'Hamas sympathizers' has California universities on alert "Musk was never elected to anything, never confirmed by the Senate," said Takano, who represents parts of Riverside County. Asked about the congressional representatives, the Education Department spokesman said "the protest was organized by members of Congress who were exercising their 1st Amendment rights, which they are at liberty to do. They did not have any scheduled appointments." During a news briefing Friday, Trump criticized the lawmakers. "I see the same ones. I see Maxine Waters, a low life. I see, you know, all these people," he said. "They don't love our country. They don't love our country. We want great education," he said before saying he wanted education to "go back to the states." Asked this week if he would issue an executive order to dismantle the department, Trump said: ' I think I'd work with Congress ... We'd have to work with the teachers union because the teachers union is the only one that is opposed to it.' Democrats and some Republicans have questioned whether the president has the authority to do away with a federal department. Congress created the department under President Carter and gives it federal funding via its appropriations role. There are also legal questions regarding whether the president can unilaterally transfer functions from one branch of government to another, such as moving student loans oversight to the Treasury Department or civil rights enforcement to the Justice Department. If congressional approval is needed to shut down the education department, Republicans have only narrow majorities in the House and Senate and a Democratic-led filibuster in the Senate could block the move. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
07-02-2025
- Business
- Los Angeles Times
UC students sue education department over DOGE's access to private financial aid data
A University of California group representing undergraduates across nine campuses is suing the U.S. Department of Education, accusing it of illegally giving DOGE, the advisory group led by Elon Musk, access to private financial aid data. The suit by the UC Student Assn. was filed Monday in U.S District Court in Washington, D.C., and alleges that the education department is violating the Privacy Act of 1974, which broadly bars it from sharing personal information with third parties. It asks a federal judge to halt the alleged access of Department of Government Efficiency affiliates have to student data. Aditi Hariharan, president of the UC Student Assn., said in a statement students 'did not consent to having our personal information shared with an unelected and noncongressionally approved entity.' The suit comes as tensions are growing over the future of the department, which gives out billions in grants for K-12 schooling programs and administers more than $1.5 trillion in federal student loans for 43 million Americans. Trump has pledged to eliminate the department and said this week that he wants his education secretary nominee, Linda McMahon, to 'put herself out of a job' McMahon's Senate confirmation hearing is scheduled for Thursday. Reached Friday, a spokesman for the education department said that it does not comment on pending litigation. The spokesman did not respond to a follow-up question about whether DOGE members had access to the department or financial aid information. A report this week in the Washington Post, citing anonymous sources, said roughly 20 members of Musk's team were were working within the department. Speaking to The Times on Friday, a career civil servant in education said it was 'widely known' that DOGE had department access. The person spoke anonymously because they were not authorized to talk to media. The possibility that private financial information is being accessed by DOGE has alarmed students. 'When students apply for financial aid, they enter their Social Security number on an application, or agree to take out a federal loan, they are trusting that their information will be secure,' said Hariharan, a UC Davis senior majoring in political science and nutrition science. 'Releasing student loan borrowers' personal data is an incredible betrayal by our government.' The National Student Legal Defense Network and the Public Citizen Litigation Group are representing the student association. 'Defendants' action granting DOGE-affiliated individuals continuous and ongoing access to that information for an unspecified period of time means that millions of Americans from all walks of life have no assurance that their sensitive information — and that of their parents and/or spouses — will receive the protection that federal law affords,' said the suit, filed against Acting Education Secretary Denise Carter and the department. 'Because defendants' actions and decisions are shrouded in secrecy, individuals do not have even basic information about what personal or financial information defendants are sharing with outside parties or how their information is being used,' it added. On Friday, dozens of Congressional Democrats led by California members said they were shut out of education headquarters after showing up to protest Trump's stated goal of shutting down the department and DOGE's reported access to information. The group of at least 30 representatives — including California's Mark Takano (D-Riverside), Maxine Waters (D-Los Angeles), Luz Rivas (D-Los Angeles) and Lateefah Simon (D-Oakland) — said they came to the building after writing to the acting education secretary to demand a meeting over Trump's education plans. Takano, a Democrat on the Republican-led House Committee on Education and the Workforce, said in an interview that it was 'an outrage that billionaire Elon Musk can get his minions into the department but that we, members of Congress who have an oversight role, cannot.' 'Musk was never elected to anything, never confirmed by the Senate,' said Takano, who represents parts of Riverside County. Asked about the congressional representatives, the Education Department spokesman said 'the protest was organized by members of Congress who were exercising their 1st Amendment rights, which they are at liberty to do. They did not have any scheduled appointments.' During a news briefing Friday, Trump criticized the lawmakers. 'I see the same ones. I see Maxine Waters, a low life. I see, you know, all these people,' he said. 'They don't love our country. They don't love our country. We want great education,' he said before saying he wanted education to 'go back to the states.' Asked this week if he would issue an executive order to dismantle the department, Trump said: ' I think I'd work with Congress ... We'd have to work with the teachers union because the teachers union is the only one that is opposed to it.' Democrats and some Republicans have questioned whether the president has the authority to do away with a federal department. Congress created the department under President Carter and gives it federal funding via its appropriations role. There are also legal questions regarding whether the president can unilaterally transfer functions from one branch of government to another, such as moving student loans oversight to the Treasury Department or civil rights enforcement to the Justice Department. If congressional approval is needed to shut down the education department, Republicans have only narrow majorities in the House and Senate and a Democratic-led filibuster in the Senate could block the move.
