GREENBELT, Md. — A judge has decided to temporarily halt two federal agencies from sharing records that contain sensitive personal information with representatives of billionaire and Trump adviser Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
U.S. District Judge Deborah Boardman, located in Greenbelt, Maryland, determined that both the Department of Education and the Office of Personnel Management likely breached the Privacy Act by providing personal information to DOGE without obtaining consent from the individuals involved.
The ruling came with a temporary restraining order following a request from attorneys representing unions and groups, which include both current and former federal employees. The judge emphasized that her order does not impede President Donald Trump, a Republican, from implementing his administration’s policies. Instead, it specifically limits the disclosure of sensitive personal information of the plaintiffs to DOGE affiliates who, according to the judge, do not have a valid necessity for accessing such information to perform their duties.
The personal data accessed by DOGE representatives includes bank account numbers, Social Security numbers, birth dates, and addresses. Boardman highlighted concerns that DOGE could potentially use this data to compile detailed profiles of the plaintiffs’ familial, professional, or financial situations. She described the ongoing unauthorized sharing of these personal details as an “irreparable harm” that could not be resolved through monetary compensation.
The lawsuit has been initiated by plaintiffs including the American Federation of Teachers, the National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association, and the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers. Randi Weingarten, president of the AFT, described the judge’s ruling as a crucial step in preventing individuals who lack legitimate authority from accessing and improperly using Americans’ personal data. The lawsuit was motivated by a desire to ensure that personal information, provided for purposes such as securing financial aid, is used solely for its intended purposes and not appropriated elsewhere.
Musk is spearheading Trump’s initiative to revamp and streamline the federal government. Over the weekend, he required federal employees to justify their accomplishments or face termination, a move that led workers’ attorneys to file a lawsuit in California, claiming legal violations.
Trump has defended Musk’s measures as essential for eliminating fraud, waste, and misuse within governmental operations. Under Musk’s leadership, DOGE has cut Education Department contracts worth substantial amounts in the hundreds of millions of dollars.
Recently, Madison Biedermann, a spokesperson for the department, announced the cancellation of a national test assessing the reading and math skills of 17-year-olds. This Long-Term Trend Assessment, started in the 1970s, is conducted every four years for students aged 9, 13, and 17. It hasn’t been administered since 2012 due to budget limitations, and its removal will impact the availability of longitudinal data on student progress, especially in light of educational disruptions caused by the pandemic.
These tests are part of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). Biedermann assured that while these particular tests were cut, the main NAEP assessments for fourth, eighth, and twelfth graders, often called “the nation’s report card” and administered biannually, remain unaffected. However, Biedermann did not offer specific reasons for these cuts, stating only that the agency continues to support NAEP and transparency regarding student performance measures.
