After Judge Shuts Down DOGE’s ‘Fishing Expedition’ Into Taxpayers’ Data, Social Security Says It Will Comply

Leland Dudek, the head of the Social Security Administration (SSA), has confirmed that the agency will continue to operate as normal despite legal disputes and policy changes led by the Trump Administration’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

This follows a court ruling that restricts DOGE from obtaining broad access to SSA’s confidential data systems. Dudek stated, “I am not shutting down the agency. SSA employees and their work will continue under the temporary restraining order.”

The Social Security website has crashed repeatedly in recent weeks, alarming advocacy groups.

DOGE, an initiative led by Elon Musk, has come under fire for its aggressive cost-cutting measures. Its controversial changes to government programs, including mass layoffs within the SSA, are believed to have severe consequences for the millions of Americans who depend on SSA benefits. In addition to the SSA, DOGE has also been meddling with other agencies, including the U.S. Agency for International Development, the Treasury Department’s international payment systems and the IRS.

The Federal judge who issued the ruling preventing DOGE from accessing SSA’s records, Ellen Lipton Hollander, called DOGE’s efforts a “fishing expedition” and said that DOGE failed to provide any valid justification for why it required unlimited access to taxpayer data. According to Hollanders, “Defenders, with so-called experts on the DOGE Team, never identified or articulated even a single reason for which the DOGE Team needs unlimited access to SSA’s entire record systems, thereby exposing personal, confidential, sensitive, and private information that millions of Americans entrusted to their government.”

The judge upheld her claim that the restraining order was in the public’s interest. Dudek similarly disapproves of DOGE’s interference with the SSA, calling them “outsiders who are unfamiliar with the nuances of SSA programs.” However, he conceded that the SSA has to “let [DOGE] see what is going on at SSA.” 

The SSA will close numerous offices this year as part of the administration’s broader agenda to downsize federal agencies. These closures have sparked widespread alarm as beneficiaries fear delays in Social Security payments and access to other critical services.

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Article by Evelyn Qiu