A federal judge has given Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) employees access to US Treasury payment systems as long as they meet training and vetting requirements but denied the Trump administration’s motion to completely dissolve a preliminary injunction.
US District Judge Jeannette Vargas of the Southern District of New York is overseeing a case filed against President Trump by 19 states led by New York. In February, Vargas issued a preliminary injunction prohibiting the Treasury Department from granting DOGE access to systems containing personally identifiable information or confidential financial information.
In April, Vargas allowed DOGE employee Ryan Wunderly to access the Treasury Department’s Bureau of Fiscal Services (BFS) system, after government declarations said “that Wunderly has undergone the same vetting and security clearance process that applies to any other Treasury Department employee provided with access to BFS payment systems.” In an order yesterday, Vargas ruled that four more employees can access the system.
“The issue before the Court is a narrow one. The parties are in agreement that, in light of this Court’s PI [Preliminary Injunction] Modification Order, the New DOGE Employees should be permitted to have access to BFS payment systems on the same terms as Wunderly,” Vargas wrote. “Treasury DOGE Team” employees Thomas Krause, Linda Whitridge, Samuel Corcos, and Todd Newnam have satisfied the conditions for accessing the system, she wrote.
Court won’t vet new hires
Additionally, the Trump administration can add more DOGE team members without the court’s prior approval. Saying that “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,” Varagas said the injunction’s restrictions won’t apply to staff who have met the requirements.
