Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) gained access to financial data from more federal agencies following a court victory on Tuesday. This expansion of authority follows a contentious legal battle over the scope of DOGE’s influence within federal operations.
Gavin Kliger, a DOGE software engineer, is expected to receive access to sensitive IRS data, a move that has sparked alarm among critics. Former Treasury official Lily Batchelder called this level of political appointee access unprecedented and possibly illegal. Democratic Senators have demanded further details amid fears of political misuse.
Ironically, Musk himself was a victim of a previous IRS data breach in 2021, when his tax records were leaked to ProPublica. A White House spokesman defended Musk’s role as necessary for cutting government waste.
Judge Tanya Chutkan rejected a lawsuit by 14 Democratic state attorneys general seeking to block DOGE’s expanded access. The judge cited a lack of evidence for immediate harm and warned the Justice Department against exaggerating DOGE’s control.
