The Trump administration on Friday made an emergency appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, asking justices to allow the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to access Social Security Administration data.
“The government cannot eliminate waste and fraud if district courts bar the very agency personnel with expertise and the designated mission of curtailing such waste and fraud from performing their jobs,” the Trump administration said in an appeal of a lower court’s decision, CNN reported.
Previously, in a split decision in the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, a majority agreed with a lower court’s decision to block DOGE’s access to the sensitive material.
“The district court is forcing the executive branch to stop employees charged with modernizing government information systems from accessing the data in those systems because, in the court’s judgment, those employees do not ‘need’ such access,” the Trump administration said in its appeal to the Supreme Court.
“The injunction involving the SSA does not merely halt the executive branch’s critically important efforts to improve its information-technology infrastructure and eliminate waste,” it said. “District court control of decisions about internal access to information also constitutes inappropriate superintendence of a coequal branch.”
The emergency appeal from the administration was filed with Chief Justice John Roberts, who handles appeals from cases in the Fourth District.
CNN said the Chief Justice is likely to refer the case to the entire Supreme Court after asking the groups that are challenging DOGE’s appeal to respond by May 12.
“In the appeals court’s opinion, US Circuit Judge Robert King wrote that the data DOGE was seeking exceeded what ‘all but the few most experienced and trusted’ at the administration itself are permitted to review. Access to the data, the Clinton appointee wrote, ‘contravened SSA policy and practices of access limitations and separation of duties,’” the CNN report said.
“Nine judges voted to leave the district court’s order in place and six dissented,” it said.
This week, Musk shared a post alleging that former Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama managed more deportations than President Donald Trump, yet faced “0 injunctions.”
“Bill Clinton: 12.3 million deportations – 0 injunctions, George W. Bush: 10.3 million deportations – 0 injunctions, Barack Obama: 5.3 million deportations – 0 injunctions. Donald Trump: 100 thousand deportations – 30 injunctions,” read the post by an X user.
Musk reshared the post and wrote in response, “Hmm.”
Last month, Musk said that he would take a step back as the leader of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
The Tesla CEO has been a loyal and ardent friend of President Trump, yet his government-slashing efforts through DOGE have resulted in attacks against Tesla. Musk stated on Tesla’s earnings conference that “my time allocation to DOGE will drop significantly” beginning in May, proclaiming the work “mostly done.”
“I’ll have to continue doing it for I think the remainder of the president’s term just to make sure the waste and fraud that we stopped does not come roaring back, which it will do if it has the chance. I think I’ll continue to spend a day or two per week on government matters for as long as the President would like me to do so and as long as it would be useful,” Musk said, as Axios noted.
Musk also recognized “some blowback” on Tesla as a result of his Trump links, stating that there have been “a few bumps in the road,” but that the company’s future remains bright.
“I encourage people to look beyond the bumps and potholes of the road immediately ahead of us. Lift your gaze to the bright shining citadel on the hill — I don’t know, some Reagan-esque imagery — and that’s where we’re headed,” he added.
