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A federal court has issued a temporary order preventing the U.S. Department of Education, the Office of Personnel Management, and the Treasury Department from sharing “personally identifiable information” related to plaintiffs and organization members involved in a recent lawsuit with Elon Musk’s U.S. DOGE Service.
U.S. District Judge Deborah Boardman announced the preliminary injunction, asserting that while the President’s DOGE initiative may be significant, federal agencies must adhere to legal protocols, which she indicated likely did not occur in this instance. Her decision follows a prior temporary restraining order, though she excluded the Treasury Department from this ruling due to an earlier injunction from a federal judge in New York that restricted DOGE’s access to that department’s payment systems.
DOGE Access Controversy
The lawsuit was initiated in February by the American Federation of Teachers, along with a coalition of labor unions, membership organizations, and several U.S. military veterans. They alleged that the aforementioned government agencies granted unauthorized access to sensitive data systems to the Department of Government Efficiency, violating the Privacy Act.
The Privacy Act of 1974 establishes guidelines governing the collection, maintenance, use, and dissemination of personal information held by federal agencies, as outlined by the Justice Department.
The Department of Government Efficiency is intended to champion significant cuts in federal spending by tackling perceived wasteful expenditures.
Judge Boardman emphasized that the plaintiffs demonstrated the likelihood of violations of the Administrative Procedure Act (APA) by permitting DOGE affiliates considerable access to sensitive personal data against the Privacy Act’s stipulations. She requested both sides to provide a status report by the end of March, detailing whether the government plans to appeal or if scheduling for further court proceedings should proceed.
Concerns Over Privacy
In response to the court’s ruling, Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, criticized Musk’s associates for their disregard for privacy, stating that the court’s decision re-establishes essential protections for millions of individuals’ data. Weingarten expressed that accountability for Musk and DOGE is crucial, deeming the preliminary injunction as an important step in this direction.
Simultaneously, significant transformations are unfolding within the Education Department. Recently, President Donald Trump instructed Education Secretary Linda McMahon to undertake measures aimed at reducing the department’s functions to the furthest extent allowable by law.
Furthermore, the agency announced plans to reduce its workforce by over 1,300 employees through a “reduction in force” initiative.
Harrison Fields, the principal deputy press secretary at the White House, commented that issues of waste, fraud, and abuse have been longstanding problems within the education system, underscoring the necessity for direct access to identify and resolve these issues. He affirmed that DOGE’s activities would continue to expose systemic fraud, positioning the initiative as a tool for transparency regarding governmental spending of taxpayer dollars.
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