A Federal judge in New York ruled on Tuesday that Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) employees can once again access sensitive payment systems at the Treasury Department.
Judge Jeannette A. Vargas issued a new order on Tuesday that modifies the preliminary injunction she issued in February, which prohibited any members of DOGE from accessing Treasury systems.
Vargas relaxed the ban in April when she allowed one DOGE employee, Ryan Wunderly, to have access to the Treasury systems. Vargas granted Wunderly access to the systems as long as he completed “any hands-on training in such systems that is typically required of other Treasury employees granted commensurate access.”
In her latest opinion, Vargas said that the defendants submitted statements confirming that the current members of the Treasury DOGE team – which, in addition to Wunderly, consists of Thomas Krause, Linda Whitridge, Samuel Corcos, and Todd Newnam – have also completed the same training.
Corcos is currently serving as the Treasury Department’s chief information officer (CIO), according to the CIO Council website.
“As the Court has determined that Thomas Krause, Linda Whitridge, Samuel Corcos, and Todd Newnam have satisfied the conditions … they shall be permitted access to Treasury Payment Systems on the same terms as Wunderly,” Vargas wrote.
The ruling stems from a lawsuit filed in February by 19 state attorneys general that aims to stop DOGE from accessing Treasury Department systems. In the lawsuit, the states claim DOGE and its leader Elon Musk have no legal power to access the systems.
The systems contain confidential personally identifiable information, including Social Security and bank account numbers.