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By Sonam Sheth
Evening Politics Editor
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A federal judge on Thursday called out Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) over its concerns regarding the privacy of 10 anonymous staffers who were given access to the Social Security data of millions of Americans.
The Context
This lawsuit is one of dozens that the Trump administration—and DOGE in particular—have been hit with since Donald Trump took office in January.
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In Thursday's ruling, U.S. District Judge Ellen Hollander blocked DOGE from accessing sensitive systems within the Social Security Administration (SSA) that contain Americans' personal information.
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What To Know
Hollander said she finds it ironic that the identity of the 10 DOGE affiliates "has been concealed because defendants are concerned that the disclosure of even their names would expose them to harassment and thus invade their privacy."
"The defense does not appear to share a privacy concern for the millions of Americans whose SSA records were made available to the DOGE affiliates, without their consent, and which contain sensitive, confidential, and personally identifiable information," known as PII, Hollander added.
The judge, who was appointed by President Barack Obama, went on to bar DOGE from accessing the SSA systems and ordered Musk, DOGE and other affiliates to destroy any non-anonymized data they've obtained.
"The DOGE Team is essentially engaged in a fishing expedition at SSA, in search of a fraud epidemic, based on little more than suspicion," Hollander wrote. "It has launched a search for the proverbial needle in the haystack, without any concrete knowledge that the needle is actually in the haystack."
The SSA is a key target for Musk and DOGE, who allege the agency is rife with waste, fraud and abuse. To that end and at DOGE's direction, the SSA is set to shutter nearly 50 Social Security offices in 18 states, primarily in the South and Southeast.
The planned closures and other DOGE cuts to SSA have sparked criticism from experts who say that Social Security benefits to millions of Americans could be delayed this year.
More than 72.5 million Americans rely on Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits, according to the SSA.
What People Are Saying
Connecticut Representative John Larson, who sits on the House Ways and Means subcommittees on Social Security and Work and Welfare, said in a statement: "Let me be clear—laying off half the workforce at the Social Security Administration and shuttering field offices will mean the delay, disruption and denial of benefits."
Everett Kelley, National President of the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), which represents over 40,000 SSA employees, said in a statement in February: "If Trump and his allies were really looking for efficiency and effectiveness, they'd be investing in SSA's workforce, not dismantling it."
What Happens Next
The SSA office closures are set to begin shortly. Hollander, meanwhile, left open the possibility that DOGE could regain access to SSA systems, but only after completing a required training and giving a "detailed explanation" for why they would need non-anonymized data.
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