The Department of Government Efficiency was established under the current Trump Administration and is headed by none other than Elon Musk. The White House explains that the department aims to “modernize federal technology and software to maximize governmental efficiency and productivity.”
This was the sentiment presented to the American people. It was not communicated that DOGE would be allowed access to the sensitive information of federal employees.
However, U.S. District Judge Deborah Boardman blocked DOGE from accessing information on the Department of Education, the Treasury Department, and the Office of Personnel Management’s employee data shortly after Musk’s team accessed the Department of the Treasury’s employee payment plans.
On March 24, Boardman issued a preliminary injunction after the American Federation of Teachers, a coalition of labor unions, filed a case in February. The coalition claimed that the Trump Administration violated their right to privacy by allowing DOGE to access the systems that hold millions of Americans’ personal information. This filing came just days after Trump filed an executive order to dismantle the Department of Education.
Since its establishment in January, DOGE has proudly proclaimed that it has cut well over $1 billion for various government agencies. Those specific cuts went toward eliminating DEI programs and foreign aid programs, firing hundreds of government employees, and so on. Over 200,000 federal workers have experienced layoffs, the purge starting with what DOGE deems as probationary employees or those who have spent two or fewer years in their positions. The amount of money saved has yet to be entirely determined, as the amount being claimed has been disputed by several economic experts.
It was revealed earlier this month that DOGE had unlimited access to Americans’ Social Security data before U.S. District Judge Ellen Hollander blocked this act, forcing the team of 10 to delete any information they might have gathered. It was unclear, however, what the DOGE team was fully planning to use the data for. They claimed that it was to “target waste and fraud in the federal government.”
The case filed on March 24 and the case heard by Hollander are similar. However, they deal with different departments through which DOGE was accessing information.
Many federal employees are concerned about the amount of information that DOGE is accessing. Senator Elizabeth Warren wrote to the Treasury Secretary that DOGE’s access to information is “risking missteps that could result in a global financial meltdown that costs trillions of dollars and millions of jobs.” Private information aside, many Americans are worried about DOGE cuts as a whole, with a new poll by Reuters showing that 58% of respondents are concerned about federal programs being delayed due to Elon Musk.
While the court system attempts to heal the cuts DOGE is making, it is still highly uncertain what other tricks the department has up its sleeve. With millions of Americans out of jobs and rapidly losing benefits, DOGE’s reign seems to be growing stronger. The only thing left for the average American to do is trust in the democratic process.