A federal judge ruled late Tuesday that the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) can now access a sensitive Treasury Department system responsible for managing trillions of dollars in federal payments.
U.S. District Judge Jeannette Vargas authorized four DOGE employees to access the Bureau of the Fiscal Service, which functions as the federal government’s primary disbursing entity. Judge Vargas also stated that the Trump administration would no longer need to seek court permission before granting access to additional DOGE representatives.
This ruling marks a victory for the Trump administration and DOGE, whose initial attempt to gain access to the Treasury Department’s payment systems in February sparked a legal challenge. A coalition of Democratic attorneys general filed a lawsuit to block the access, leading Judge Vargas to temporarily halt it. However, she permitted DOGE to develop a secure system for accessing the data, contingent on appropriate training and restrictions for its personnel.
In April, Judge Vargas allowed one DOGE employee to begin utilizing the system. In her ruling on Tuesday, she acknowledged that the Trump administration had established a system to train employees in order to prevent unauthorized disclosures of information. The attorneys general did not object to DOGE’s access, provided that the employees received adequate training.
“There is little utility in having this Court function as Treasury’s de facto human resources officer each time a new team member is onboarded,” Judge Vargas stated in her ruling.
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