This follows a federal judge temporarily restricting Musk and DOGE from accessing a critical Treasury Department payment system that distributes tax returns, social security benefits, and disability payments, among other things.
Five former U.S. Treasury secretaries have warned that Elon Musk’s new Department of Government Efficiency may pose a threat to democracy, with efforts being made to “unlawfully undermine the nation’s financial commitments.”.
In Saturday’s ruling to restrict Musk and DOGE’s access to funds, U.S. District Judge Paul Engelmayer ordered the destruction of any downloaded information from the payment system by anyone given access to it since January 20.
In addition, the secretaries warned, the unfettered access of DOGE officials to the nation’s funds could potentially affect the disbursement of vital paychecks, including to veterans, federal workers, and Medicare providers.
The opinion piece also highlighted remarks by Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who noted previously that even the president does not have “unilateral” power over federal finances and that the “power of the purse” was clearly in “the province of Congress.”.
