U.S. judge blocks Elon Musk's DOGE from accessing Treasury payment systems

A federal judge early Saturday temporarily blocked Elon Musk's government efficiency team from accessing U.S. government systems used to process trillions of dollars in payments, citing risks that sensitive information could be improperly disclosed.

U.S. District Judge Paul Engelmayer in Manhattan issued the order after a coalition of Democratic attorneys general from 19 U.S. states filed a lawsuit late Friday, arguing Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has no legal authority to access the U.S. Department of Treasury systems.

Hours after it was issued, Musk called it "absolutely insane!" in a post on his social media platform X.

The billionaire said the Treasury Department and DOGE had agreed to require all outgoing government payments to include a rationale in the form of a comment and to have a categorization code. Musk also said that these changes were being implemented by government employees, and not by anyone from DOGE.

Friday's lawsuit warned that DOGE's access to the system "poses huge cybersecurity risks that put vast amounts of funding for the States and their residents in peril."

State attorneys general also criticized Musk and his team for disrupting federal funding for health clinics, preschools, climate initiatives, and other programs, expressing concerns that Trump could use the information to further his political agenda.

Engelmayer, an appointee of Democratic former President Barack Obama, said the states' claims were "particularly strong" and warranted him acting on their request for emergency relief pending a further hearing before another judge on February 14.

His order bars political appointees, special government employees and officials detailed from an agency outside the Treasury Department from accessing Treasury Department payment and data systems.

The judge also mandated anyone prohibited under his order from accessing those systems to immediately destroy any copied or downloaded materials.

What has DOGE done in 20 days?

U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order on January 20, the inauguration day, formally establishing DOGE to identify fraud and waste in the government. The DOGE team aims to cut $500 billion in annual government spending, streamline bureaucracy, and reduce federal agencies.

One day after DOGE's founding, Musk announced the elimination of its first agency: the Executive Committee of Chief Diversity Officers (CDOEC), shutting down its website and ending its role in promoting diversity strategies within the government.

Next, DOGE targeted the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). On February 1, USAID's official website and social media accounts went offline, and its foreign aid programs were frozen. Two days later, the Trump administration shut down USAID's Washington headquarters, placing tens of thousands of employees on forced leave while retaining only 294 positions. Musk labeled USAID a "criminal organization," accusing it of "funding left-wing projects" and "financial abuse."

Shortly after, DOGE began auditing payment data from multiple federal departments, including the Treasury, Education, Defense, Health and Human Services, and Labor Departments.

Musk's aggressive actions have alarmed Democrats and advocacy groups, who argue he is overstepping his authority by dismantling key government agencies and enacting mass layoffs of federal workers.

DOGE's actions are facing intense scrutiny over legality, internal divisions, and widespread public protests. Over 20 U.S. House Democrats on Thursday urged government watchdogs to investigate potential national security threats posed by the DOGE team.

Protests have erupted across the U.S. against Trump's freezing of foreign aid and Musk's aggressive measures to shrink the government. On Saturday, workers at the U.S. Consumer Finance Protection Bureau protested against Musk's assault on the agency, raising concern over his access to federal data and the billionaire's potential conflicts of interest. The bureau's website has been malfunctioning since late on Friday, around the time Musk posted a message on X that said, "CFPB RIP."

(With input from Reuters)