Lawyers representing the Trump administration agreed Tuesday to temporarily stop the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency from accessing student loan and financial aid information after a University of California group filed a federal lawsuit seeking a halt to the actions.
The move, approved by U.S. District Judge Randolph D. Moss of the District of Columbia, will be in place through Monday as both sides prepare arguments in the case.
The decision marks at least a temporary setback for Musk’s DOGE associates, whom President Trump tapped to slash federal government spending. Democrats accuse the group — not a federal department despite its name — of illegally barreling its way through government agencies.
DOGE is still working within the Education Department but will be restricted for less than a week from more than a dozen internal systems related to student data.
Concern over DOGE actions grew this week after education researchers and industry groups reported that more than 169 contracts and $900 million in spending were cut from the department’s Institute of Education Sciences. The institute tracks the progress of American students through programs including the National Assessment of Educational Progress, known as the nation’s report card, and the College Scorecard, a database of university costs and outcomes.
A department spokeswoman said Tuesday those programs would not be affected by the court decision.
The UC Student Assn., which represents undergraduates across nine campuses, filed its lawsuit Friday. The suit alleges that the Education Department is violating the Privacy Act of 1974, which broadly bars it from sharing personal information with third parties. The group asked the court to halt DOGE affiliates’ access to student data.
Moss, appointed by President Obama, did not indicate Tuesday that he agreed with the student arguments.
The National Student Legal Defense Network and the Public Citizen Litigation Group, which are representing the student association, said in a statement that they “look forward to putting a permanent end to these egregious violations. … Millions of students still are questioning whether their personal information is in unsafe hands, and we need answers from the Department of Education to fully account for any data that’s already been breached.”
The UC Student Assn. is seeking a temporary restraining order against DOGE while the suit proceeds.
The suit comes as tensions are growing over the future of the department, which gives out billions in grants for K-12 school programs and administers more than $1.5 trillion in federal student loans for 43 million Americans. Trump has pledged to eliminate the department and said last week that he wants his Education secretary nominee, Linda McMahon, to “put herself out of a job.” McMahon’s Senate confirmation hearing is scheduled for Thursday.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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