Trump Opposes States’ Lawsuit Over DOGE Access to Sensitive Information
President Donald Trump asked the U.S. District Court of Southern New York to deny 19 states' motion for a preliminary injunction to block Elon Musk’s data-collection efforts at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
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“Plaintiffs are not entitled to relief because the extraordinary injunction they seek would violate the separation of powers,” the president said in a court document Tuesday (case 1:25-cv-01144). “Plaintiffs’ proposed order creates an arbitrary distinction between classes of Executive Branch employees and intolerably inhibits the President’s exercise of his constitutional functions.”
On Feb. 7, a coalition of 19 states, led by New York, filed a complaint against Trump in his capacity as president, seeking a temporary restraining order and a permanent injunction barring him from granting those outside the Treasury Department from accessing Treasury payment or data systems containing personally identifiable information (see 2502070050). A district judge entered a temporary restraining order on Feb. 8.
“In order to give meaningful advice, the President’s subordinates, including and especially his closest advisors, who are generally political appointees, must be able to gather the information necessary to render that advice useful and accurate,” the president said. “Walling those subordinates off from critical sources of information hinders their ability to offer -- and for the President to receive -- advice the Constitution specifically requires them to provide. And restricting 'special government employees and government employees detailed from an agency' compounds the problem, by further restricting the pool of individuals from whom the President and his direct appointees can receive meaningful advice, regardless of those individuals’ skills, expertise, or need for information.”