A group of California college students sued the Department of Education on Friday, alleging that Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, illegally accessed confidential student data.
The lawsuit, filed by the University of California Student Association in federal court, accuses DOGE of violating privacy laws by infiltrating the agency’s financial aid systems. The students are represented by Public Citizen, a left-leaning advocacy group that argues DOGE’s access to the personal data of more than 42 million borrowers threatens privacy protections under federal law.
“When students apply for financial aid … or agree to take out a federal loan, they are trusting that their personal information will be secure,” said Aditi Hariharan, the association’s president. “Releasing student loan borrowers’ personal data is an incredible betrayal by our government, and we hope the Courts will quickly hold the Department of Education accountable.
The lawsuit follows reporting from the Washington Post alleging that Musk’s task force has fed sensitive Education Department data into artificial intelligence systems to analyze agency spending. The Education Department has not confirmed these claims but acknowledged DOGE’s involvement in reviewing its operations.
DOGE, created under President Donald Trump’s administration to streamline government agencies, has quickly expanded its reach, recently gaining access to Treasury Department payment systems and dismantling parts of USAID. The moves have sparked multiple lawsuits from government unions and advocacy groups.
In response, congressional Democrats are demanding answers. Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA) urged the Government Accountability Office to investigate DOGE’s actions, while a group of senators sent a letter to acting Education Secretary Denise Carter seeking more information. On Friday, the GAO confirmed it had received Scott’s request.
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Meanwhile, a federal judge has temporarily restricted which DOGE staffers can access Treasury systems, and a separate lawsuit seeks to reverse DOGE’s actions at USAID, with a hearing over whether to impose a temporary restraining order happening Friday afternoon in federal court.
A separate hearing is set for Friday on a motion to block DOGE’s access to Labor Department data.
This article was originally published at www.washingtonexaminer.com
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