Government Opposes EPIC's DOGE Restraining Order
Acting Director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Charles Ezell and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Wednesday opposed the Electronic Privacy Information Coalition's motion for a temporary restraining order (TRO), arguing that EPIC is unlikely to succeed on the merits of its case. EPIC sued over the Department of Government Efficiency's (DOGE) alleged illegal seizure of personnel records and payment system data, and asked the courts for a TRO to end the unlawful actions.
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“This is one of a spate of similar lawsuits seeking unprecedented judicial micromanagement of the Executive Branch’s ability to share government data with its own employees in exercising politically accountable oversight of agency activities,” Bessent and Ezell said. “The true story is far less sensational. In response to lawful Executive Orders issued by President Trump, Treasury and OPM have assembled small teams of the agencies’ own employees, including detailees, to oversee implementation of the new Administration’s policies to root out waste, fraud, and abuse across the federal government.”
The case, before the U.S. District Court for Eastern Virginia, began Feb. 10 when EPIC sued over what they called “the largest data breach in American history” (see 2502110056). Other organizations, like the Electronic Frontier Foundation, have also sued the OPM over DOGE access to sensitive information (see 2502120015).