Elon Musk’s DOGE wins access to sensitive data, despite Congressional vetting

Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a controversial part of the Trump administration, has gained access to sensitive Treasury Department payment systems, even though state attorneys general raised concerns and Congress did not formally review its personnel. This win comes after a long legal fight that started in February 2025, when DOGE first tried to access the Bureau of the Fiscal Service, the federal government’s main account for payments.

After the Trump administration met the court’s demands by proving they had set up thorough training and vetting steps, the judge allowed one DOGE employee to get access in April. Once the administration showed further compliance, the judge ruled in late May to let four more DOGE employees in. The decision also set a rule for future DOGE hires to get access without court approval, as long as they went through the same training and vetting.

The judge noted that the court could not keep acting like a human resources department for the Treasury. While this ruling is a big win for the Trump administration and DOGE, it highlights a larger problem with the group’s access to sensitive data across many government agencies. Besides the Treasury, DOGE has already accessed or shown interest in sensitive systems at the IRS, the Social Security Administration, and the Department of Health and Human Services.

DOGE gets the access it wants from judge

The Washington Post reported that DOGE wanted access to a huge database of nearly all U.S. workers’ earnings, held by the health department’s child support office. Its interest in Census Bureau data further shows how wide DOGE’s data access goals are and the possible dangers of such broad reach. It’s not like DOGE has done well lately, as staffers have resigned and not much savings have been made.

This move led to a lawsuit from nineteen state attorneys general. They argued that letting DOGE into systems holding trillions of dollars in federal payments, along with sensitive personal details like social security numbers, home addresses, and bank account information, was too risky. At first, a federal judge blocked DOGE’s access with an emergency order, saying there was a risk of serious harm.

Still, the judge later gave the Trump administration until March 24 to prove that strong security measures were in place to protect this sensitive data. This included showing training plans for DOGE employees handling the information, explaining their security clearances, and clarifying who was in charge of the DOGE team working with the Treasury Department.