A New York judge has partially lifted a ban on Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), allowing limited access to sensitive Treasury Department information. The decision, issued late on Friday by Judge Jeannette A Vargas, permits DOGE staffer Ryan Wunderly to access key Treasury data and payment systems, provided he completes standard federal training and files a financial disclosure report.
The ruling comes amid an ongoing lawsuit filed by 19 Democratic state attorneys general, who argue that DOGE’s access to personally identifiable financial information poses a privacy risk. They claim Musk’s team consists mainly of political appointees lacking the expertise of trained Treasury civil servants who typically handle data such as Social Security and bank account numbers.
The access ban was originally imposed two months ago. Vargas clarified in her opinion that Wunderly would be allowed to interact with payment systems and sensitive data after meeting compliance requirements, effectively giving DOGE a foothold into Treasury operations.
DOGE was launched by Musk to identify and eliminate government inefficiencies.