U.S. District Judge John Bates has ruled in favor of Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), allowing Musk’s budget-slashing team continued access to critical records from the Department of Labor, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
The ruling deals a major blow to the entrenched bureaucracy and their progressive allies, who sought to block Musk’s efforts to streamline bloated agencies and cut unnecessary spending.
A coalition of left-wing unions and nonprofits had desperately attempted to shield the agencies from oversight, but the judge’s late-night decision on Friday kept DOGE’s mission alive.
U.S. District Judge John Bates, an appointee of former President George W. Bush, declined a request by unions and nonprofits to temporarily block Musk’s team from accessing records at the Departments of Labor and Health and Human Services, as well as the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.