US judge temporarily blocks Musk's DOGE from accessing payment systems

A national justice aboriginal Saturday temporarily blocked billionaire Elon Musk's authorities ratio squad and Trump medication governmental appointees from accessing authorities systems utilized to process trillions of dollars successful payments, citing a hazard that delicate accusation could beryllium improperly disclosed.

U.S. District Judge Paul Engelmayer successful Manhattan issued the bid aft a conjugation of Democratic attorneys wide from 19 U.S. states filed a suit precocious Friday arguing Musk's Department of Government Efficiency has nary ineligible powerfulness to entree the U.S. Department of Treasury systems.

Musk, connected X, called the ruling "absolutely insane!" and said without grounds that "something ace shady is going to support scammers."

"How connected Earth are we expected to halt fraud and discarded of payer wealth without looking astatine however wealth is spent?" Musk said connected his societal media level and called Engelmayer "an activistic posing arsenic a judge."

The suit said Musk and his squad could disrupt national backing for wellness clinics, preschools, clime initiatives, and different programs, and that Republican President Donald Trump could usage the accusation to further his governmental agenda.

DOGE's entree to the strategy besides "poses immense cybersecurity risks that enactment immense amounts of backing for the States and their residents successful peril," the authorities attorneys wide said. They sought a impermanent restraining bid blocking DOGE's access.

The judge, an appointee of Democratic erstwhile President Barack Obama, said the states' claims were "particularly strong" and warranted him acting connected their petition for exigency alleviation pending a further proceeding earlier different justice connected Feb. 14.

"That is some due to the fact that of the hazard that the caller argumentation presents of the disclosure of delicate and confidential accusation and the heightened hazard that the systems successful question volition beryllium much susceptible than earlier to hacking," Engelmayer wrote.

New York Attorney General Letitia James, a Democrat whose bureau is starring the case, welcomed the ruling, saying cipher was supra the instrumentality and that Americans crossed the state had been horrified by the DOGE team's unfettered entree to their data.

"We knew the Trump administration's prime to springiness this entree to unauthorized individuals was illegal, and this morning, a national tribunal agreed," James said successful a statement. "Now, Americans tin spot that Musk — the world's richest antheral — and his friends volition not person escaped rein implicit their idiosyncratic accusation portion our suit proceeds."

Engelmayer's bid bars entree from being granted to Treasury Department outgo and information systems by governmental appointees, peculiar authorities employees and authorities employees elaborate from an bureau extracurricular the Treasury Department.

The justice besides directed that anyone prohibited nether his bid from accessing those systems to instantly destruct thing they copied oregon downloaded.

The White House and Treasury Department did not instantly respond to requests for comment.

Trump deputized Musk to pb DOGE to place fraud and discarded successful the government. Musk's efforts person alarmed Democrats and advocacy groups who accidental helium is overstepping his authorization by seeking to dismantle agencies liable for captious authorities programs and occurrence national workers en masse.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, a Trump appointee, said this week that the department's outgo strategy volition not beryllium touched by Musk and that immoderate decisions to halt payments would beryllium made by different agencies.