OAN Staff Blake Wolf
10:40 AM – Wednesday, May 28, 2025
A federal judge gave the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) access to the Treasury Department’s financial information on Tuesday.
The judge’s order allows designated DOGE staffers to access the infrastructure after undergoing screening procedures and federal training.
The ruling follows after a coalition of 19 Democrat state attorneys general sued the Trump administration in February over DOGE’s probe into Treasury infrastructure, citing “privacy” concerns.
“President Trump does not have the power to give away Americans’ private information to anyone he chooses, and he cannot cut federal payments approved by Congress. Musk and DOGE have no authority to access Americans’ private information and some of our country’s most sensitive data,” stated New York Attorney general Letitia James (D-N.Y.) in February.
DOGE was formed in January by President Donald Trump to root out waste, fraud and abuse in the federal government.
U.S. District Judge Jeannette A. Vargas initially ruled against providing DOGE access to the Treasury database, asking the Trump administration instead to install safeguards to prevent sensitive financial data from being leaked or misused.
“Taking the time to adequately mitigate potential security concerns and properly onboard members to engage in this work outweighs the Defendants’ immediate need to access and redevelop Treasury systems,” Vargas wrote at the time.
The attorneys general also argued that providing the executive branch with access to the Treasury database with the intent of “disrupting” congressionally approved spending could represent a violation of the separation of powers.
Currently, five DOGE staffers have been granted access to Treasury data, including Tom Krause, Linda Whitridge, Samuel Corcos, Todd Newnam, and Ryan Wunderly.
Vargas previously allowed Ryan Wunderly access in April, modifying her original ruling against allowing DOGE staffers access to the Treasury database, prior to her recent ruling.
The updated ruling states that the Trump administration no longer needs to request her access for additional DOGE staffers to access the data as long as they undergo the approved training.
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