A federal judge in Greenbelt, Maryland, is blocking the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which is working to expose government waste, from accessing specific records at the Department of Education (DOE).
U.S. District Judge Deborah Boardman “issued a temporary restraining order on Monday against DOGE’s access to records at the DoEd containing personal sensitive information on Americans, including financial data related to federal student loans,” Fox News reported, noting that Boardman was appointed by former President Joe Biden.
The news comes days after another federal judge denied a request to bar DOGE from accessing student data at DOE, UPI reported on February 18.
Per the Fox News article, the two-week restraining order against DOGE further bars the DOE and the Office of Personnel Management from sharing information with cost-cutting organization:
The order stems from a lawsuit filed against the administration alleging that “the agencies unlawfully granted access to records that contain their personally identifiable information (“PII”) to personnel implementing the President’s Executive Orders on the DOGE agenda.”
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The latest ruling against DOGE comes from the same judge who in early February blocked President Donald Trump’s executive order ending birthright citizenship.
DOGE has been focused on uncovering government waste. In one recent instance, it began working to “simplify” the federal government’s credit card program, which spent nearly $40 billion in Fiscal Year 2024, Breitbart News reported on Thursday.
Meanwhile, a recent Economist/YouGov survey found that more Americans view DOGE favorably than unfavorably.
The department gives updates on its findings via its website and X account, the report continued:
On February 15, for example, DOGE listed several ways taxpayer dollars were posed to be used but have since been canceled. This includes $10 million for “Mozambique voluntary medical male circumcision,” $2.3 million for “strengthening independent voices in Cambodia,” $40 million for “gender equality and women empowerment hub,” $14 million for “social cohesion” in Mali, $2.5 million for “inclusive democracies in Southern Africa,” $47 million for “improving learning outcomes in Asia,” and more.
DOGE has won several legal victories amid pushback against its efforts, Fox News noted on Monday.