· Court filing
Federal judge temporarily bars DOGE from Treasury payment system after 19 states sue
What he said or did
US District Judge Paul Engelmayer temporarily restricted DOGE's access to the Treasury Department system that disburses tax refunds, Social Security benefits and federal salaries, and ordered anyone given access since 20 January to destroy downloaded information. The suit was brought by New York Attorney General Letitia James and 18 other state attorneys general.
Background
DOGE staff had been given access to Treasury payment systems in the first weeks of the administration; the states argued this risked disclosure of sensitive personal and financial data.
Official response
Musk wrote that DOGE and Treasury had jointly agreed
on payment requirements and that It is ridiculous that these changes didn't exist already!
The White House called the order judicial overreach
(CNN).
Fact-checks and findings
Vargas wrote that the public interest was served by requiring Treasury to ensure proper vetting; a Treasury official, Tom Krause, said in a filing he had only over the shoulder
access (States Newsroom).
What happened next
On 21 February 2025 Judge Jeannette Vargas issued a preliminary injunction restricting access for people who had not gone through required vetting (States Newsroom). The order was modified on 27 May 2025, and the government appealed to the Second Circuit in July 2025 (Oregon DOJ litigation tracker).
Sources
- CNN (via KVIA)8 Feb 2025
- States Newsroom (via NC Newsline)22 Feb 2025
- Oregon Department of Justice13 Oct 2026
This entry records what was publicly said or done, as reported by the sources above. Quotes are attributed to the person who made them.
