The US Department of Justice has agreed to temporarily restrict the White House unit Doge's access to the Treasury Department's payment system, reports American media.
The agreement comes after widespread criticism that Elon Musk and his employees, who are tasked with reducing government spending, have been given access to the federal systems used for outgoing and incoming payments to millions of Americans. This involves millions of confidential personal data: personal and social security numbers, company and personal accounts, information about insured Americans and those receiving government benefits.
According to a lawsuit filed by three trade unions on Wednesday, the procedure violated federal law. Now, the Trump administration has backed down: in a decision from the Department of Justice late on Wednesday – which must be signed by a federal judge before it takes effect – the Treasury Department is largely prohibited from sharing sensitive information with Doge.
However, the agreement allows two of Musk's close associates, Tom Krause and Marko Elez, to retain their so-called protected access. In the decision, the two are described as "special government employees" within the Treasury Department, but according to American media, both are former tech workers with close ties to Musk.
Krause and Elez are allowed access to the extent "they need to perform their jobs", writes NBC News.
