Acting Social Security Commissioner Leland Dudek initially threatened to cease operations at the agency after a federal judge blocked staffers from Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency from accessing sensitive data. The judge’s decision came after several union groups requested to stop “DOGE affiliates” from accessing personal and private information of Americans stored at the agency. The judge criticized DOGE’s actions as a fishing expedition for fraud with no clear justification for needing access to all of SSA’s records.
Dudek argued that all SSA employees could be considered DOGE affiliates and threatened to terminate access to sensitive data for all of them. However, the judge clarified that only those involved in DOGE activities were affected by the restraining order. Dudek later retracted his threat and confirmed that normal agency operations would continue under the temporary order.
This ruling follows previous attempts by DOGE employees to access private data at other federal agencies, including the Treasury Department and the IRS. In those cases, federal judges also intervened to block or limit access to sensitive information. Dudek’s predecessor, Michelle King, had left the agency after refusing to comply with DOGE’s attempts to access government records. Holland’s decision emphasizes the importance of protecting individuals’ privacy and ensuring that access to sensitive data is limited to those with a legitimate need.
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