Trump requests the Supreme Court to allow Elon Musk's DOGE to access the entire Social Security data
The administration of President Donald Trump on Friday requested the U.S. Supreme Court to allow Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) full access to the data of the Social Security Administration (SSA).
The Department of Justice has requested judges to block a previous decision by Judge Ellen Hollander that prevented DOGE from accessing SSA's internal systems. The department argued that the judge's decision exceeded her authority and interfered with the Executive Branch.
They say the order prevents the team tasked with repairing government data systems from doing their jobs.
"The district court is forcing the Executive Branch to prevent staff tasked with modernizing government information systems from accessing data in those systems because, according to the court's ruling, those staff do not 'need' such access," they wrote.
According to Reuters, the legal battle began after two unions and a lobbying group filed a lawsuit to prevent Musk's DOGE from pulling sensitive data from the SSA. Hollander, who was appointed by Barack Obama, agreed with them.
She stated that DOGE does not provide a real reason for why it needs to view almost every record in the system. Her decision on April 17 described this request as "unprecedented" and stated that it broke a 90-year tradition of privacy within the SSA. She also noted that this effort revealed a profound issue within the agency's foundation.
Republicans oppose Trump's plan from within Congress
On April 30, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond upheld Hollander in a split decision. The court refused to remove her order, meaning DOGE remains locked out of the SSA. The Supreme Court has given those challenging Trump's move until May 12 to respond. While this is happening in court, Trump is also facing pushback from the other side - Congress. Even Republicans are not supporting Musk's federal cuts.
Musk's DOGE claims it has cut $160 billion from the federal budget. During the campaign, Musk stated he would cut $2 trillion.
But now that Trump is back in the White House, lawmakers from his own party are quietly refusing to support any cuts becoming actual law. The Washington Post reported that some Republicans have acknowledged that even writing part of the DOGE cuts into law would be too much.
The government has almost no way to lock in cuts without Congress. Republicans have started to avoid town hall meetings after Medicare and Social Security cuts caused public outrage.
Some lawmakers have turned to events held only by phone. The National Republican Congressional Committee has advised them to skip public meetings altogether.
Trump's team proposed a smaller plan: to send $9.3 billion from DOGE cuts to Congress for approval. This includes eliminating the U.S. Agency for International Development, merging it into the State Department, and cutting public broadcasting budgets. However, Congress has yet to act.
Robert Shea, a Republican and former official at the White House Office of Management and Budget, told the Post, "No prior DOGE activity has impacted the budget, debt, or deficits. Until Congress acts, those savings don't actually materialize." He warned that the White House now must choose between using actual funding approved by Congress or violating budget law. This could trigger a constitutional crisis.
Both sides are now opposing Musk and Trump's DOGE. Courts have frozen access to the data. Congress will not touch the cuts. And even though a $160 billion cut has been announced, nothing is legally locked in.
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