A federal judge on Friday allowed the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to continue to access sensitive data on millions of Americans at the Departments of Labor and Health and Human Services, rejecting a push by labor unions and privacy advocates to block DOGE’s reach.
In a decision issued on June 27, U.S. District Judge John D. Bates in Washington denied a motion for a preliminary injunction in a lawsuit brought by a coalition that includes the AFL-CIO, the Service Employees International Union, and the Economic Policy Institute. The plaintiffs contended that DOGE lacks statutory authority to tap into confidential government systems that store personal information such as medical records, financial histories, Social Security numbers, and home addresses….