A Federal judge in New York has relaxed a ban on the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and is allowing one DOGE employee to have access to sensitive payment systems at the Treasury Department.
Judge Jeannette A. Vargas issued the order late Friday, nearly two months after she ruled that anyone affiliated with DOGE would be barred from accessing the agency’s payment systems.
In the April 11 order, Vargas said that one DOGE employee, Ryan Wunderly, can access the Treasury Department’s payment systems as long as he completes “any hands-on training in such systems that is typically required of other Treasury employees granted commensurate access.” Vargas also said that Wunderly must submit a financial disclosure report.
The ruling stems from a lawsuit filed in February by 19 state attorneys general that aims to stop DOGE from accessing Treasury Department systems. In the lawsuit, the states claim DOGE and its leader Elon Musk have no legal power to access the systems.
The systems contain confidential personally identifiable information, including Social Security and bank account numbers.
Vargas initially upheld the ban on DOGE in February, saying that “there is a realistic danger that confidential financial information will be disclosed” without the court blocking DOGE’s access to the systems.
However, in Friday night’s ruling, Vargas explained that “the only reason Wunderly has not undergone such hands-on training is because the existing preliminary injunction prohibits him from accessing” the Treasury Department’s payment systems.
Vargas said that “based on the existing record,” the required training procedures “are adequate to satisfy” her security concerns.