Judge allows DOGE to access sensitive Treasury payment systems

(WASHINGTON) — A team from the Department of Government Efficiency can now access a sensitive Treasury Department system that controls trillions of dollars in federal payments, a judge ruled late Tuesday.

U.S. District Judge Jeannette Vargas gave permission for four DOGE employees to access the Bureau of the Fiscal Service, which essentially serves as the checkbook for the federal government. Vargas said she would no longer require the Trump administration to get permission from the court before expanding access to other DOGE representatives.

The ruling marks a win for the Trump administration and DOGE, which caused a legal firestorm in February when it tried to get access to the Treasury Department’s payment systems. A group of Democratic attorneys general sued to block their access, and Vargas temporarily blocked their access in February but permitted DOGE to build a system to access the data with appropriate training and restrictions.

In April, Vargas allowed one DOGE employee to begin accessing the system. In yesterday’s ruling, she said the Trump administration had established a system to train employees to prevent improper disclosures. The attorneys general did not object to allowing DOGE’s access if the employees were properly trained.

“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,” Vargas said.