Judge blocks DOGE from accessing certain Social Security data

15 hrs ago

Cole Lauterbach Managing Editor

By Cole Lauterbach (Managing Editor)

A federal judge issued a temporary restraining order preventing the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) from accessing certain Social Security Administration (SSA) data. The judge criticized the effort as a “fishing expedition” lacking sufficient justification.

The court sided with unions, suggesting DOGE’s actions may violate the Privacy Act and Administrative Procedure Act. Still, the judge granted limited access to redacted data after proper training and background checks.
DOGE’s focus on government entitlements, as highlighted by Elon Musk, raised concerns. A former SSA director warned that its involvement could disrupt benefit payments for the first time in decades.

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A federal judge on Thursday blocked the U.S. Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, from accessing certain data within the Social Security Administration. The opinion called DOGE’s quest for the information a “fishing expedition.”

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Judge Ellen Hollander agreed with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Union (AFSCME) and the AFL-CIO. Judge Hollander ruled the Trump administration’s efficiency wing couldn’t give the court sufficient reason for needing to see the data.

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“The American public may well applaud and support the Trump Administration’s mission to root out fraud, waste, and bloat from federal agencies, including SSA, to the extent it exists,” Hollander wrote. “But, by what means and methods? The DOGE Team is essentially engaged in a fishing expedition at SSA, in search of a fraud epidemic, based on little more than suspicion.”

Hollander continued to criticize DOGE. She said it was on a “search for the proverbial needle in the haystack, without any concrete knowledge that the needle is actually in the haystack.”

In granting the two-week temporary restraining order, Hollander said she believed the unions would prove DOGE was violating the Privacy Act and the Administrative Procedure Act.

She did grant DOGE members access to redacted information after they were trained on how to manage it and receive background checks.

Billionaire businessman Elon Musk said earlier this month that DOGE would focus on government entitlements. Musk referred to them as “the big one” in an interview on Fox Business.

A former director of SSA warned that DOGE’s incursion into the agency could lead to payment interruptions for the first time in decades.