US court says Trump’s Doge team can access sensitive data
The decision reverses a temporary injunction issued by a federal judge in Maryland that had been paused by the appeal court in April
A US appeal court on Tuesday rejected a bid by a group of unions to block the Trump administration's government downsizing team known as the Department of Government Efficiency (Doge) from accessing sensitive data on Americans.
The Virginia-based 4th US Circuit Court of Appeals, in a 2-1 decision, said the unions were unlikely to prevail on claims that Doge would violate federal privacy laws by accessing data at the US Department of Education, the Treasury Department, and the Office of Personnel Management.
The court refused to block Doge’s access to the agencies’ computer systems and data such as Social Security numbers and individuals’ citizenship status pending the outcome of the case.
The decision reverses a temporary injunction issued by a federal judge in Maryland, which had been paused by the appeal court in April.
The agencies involved in the case and the unions that sued, which include the American Federation of Teachers and the National Federation of Federal Employees, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
US President Donald Trump, after taking office in January, launched Doge, then headed by billionaire Elon Musk, to dramatically shrink government bureaucracy and federal spending.