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Judge extends order blocking Musk’s DOGE team from Treasury payment system

A federal judge on Friday extended a temporary order that blocks Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) team from accessing payment systems within the Treasury Department.

The extension comes after 19 state attorneys general filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration over DOGE’s access to the payment system, which has information about Americans’ Social Security, Medicare and veterans’ benefits, tax refund information, and much more.

The lawsuit claims the Musk-run agency illegally accessed the Treasury Department’s central payment system at the Trump administration’s behest.

TREASURY ‘MISTAKENLY’ GAVE MUSK DOGE WORKER ABILITY TO CHANGE PAYMENTS SYSTEM: COURT DOCS

A federal judge on Friday extended a temporary order that blocks Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) team from accessing payment systems within the Treasury Department. (Kenny Holston-Pool/Getty Images)

The lawsuit was filed in New York by New York Attorney General Letitia James’ office and includes attorneys general from Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Wisconsin.

TREASURY DEPARTMENT SAYS DOGE WILL HAVE ‘READ ONLY’ ACCESS TO PAYMENT SYSTEMS IN LETTER TO CONGRESS

The lawsuit claims DOGE illegally accessed the Treasury Department’s central payment system at the Trump administration’s behest. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

U.S. District Judge Jeannette Vargas in Manhattan on Friday said that she wasn’t going to issue a ruling yet on the attorneys general request for a longer preliminary injunction, leaving the temporary order issued last Saturday in place.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told FOX Business last week that the concerns about DOGE’s access to the Treasury Department are not valid.

“DOGE is not going to fail,” he said. “They are moving a lot of people’s cheese here in the capital, and when you hear this squawking, then some status quo interest is not happy.”

The lawsuit was filed in New York by New York Attorney General Letitia James’ (pictured) office and includes attorneys general from Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Wisconsin. (AP Photo/Brittainy Newman)

He continued, “At the Treasury, our payment system is not being touched. We process 1.3 billion payments a year. There is a study being done — can we have more accountability, more accuracy, more traceability that the money is going where it is? But, in terms of payments being stopped, that is happening upstream at the department level.”

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The newly-created DOGE aims to cut government waste and has been given access to more than a dozen government agencies, including the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the Department of Education and the Department of Labor.

February 15, 2025
Trump’s Treasury secretary shuts down tariffs concerns, praises ‘frictionless global trade’

Treasury Department Secretary Scott Bessent discusses President Donald Trump signing a reciprocal tariff plan, V.P. Vance threatening Russia with sanctions, a potential economic partnership agreement with Ukraine and government spending waste.

Less than one day after President Donald Trump signed off on a reciprocal tariff plan, the administration’s Treasury secretary shut down any economic concerns around the state of global trade.

“President Trump is serious about negotiating this. And look, I don’t understand why there’s any pushback on this, that if they want to bring all these barriers down, then we will have more frictionless global trade,” Scott Bessent said in an exclusive interview on “Mornings with Maria” Friday.

“As we’ve learned with President Trump, you should take him at his word. This is not theater,” he continued. “The April 1 deadline is for a study that the Commerce Department is doing on global tariffs that apply to U.S. products country by country.”

On Thursday, Trump announced a plan for the U.S. to look at implementing “reciprocal” tariffs against countries that tax or limit markets for American goods. Trump said he did not expect any exemptions or waivers for the plan, which could apply to both adversaries and allies.

TRUMP IS PLAYING A DANGEROUS TARIFF GAME DESPITE HIS ‘REALLY STRONG’ AGENDA, U.S. ECONOMIST WARNS

Commerce Secretary nominee Howard Lutnick and the U.S. trade representative would then submit a report detailing the tariffs on a country-by-country basis, a White House official said, previewing the announcement. The studies will be completed by April 1.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent discussed global trade and Trump’s tariff plans on “Mornings with Maria” Friday. (Getty Images)

The official added that Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russ Vought would then have 180 days to produce a report assessing any financial impacts.

This comes just days after the Trump administration announced 25% tariffs on steel and aluminum imports, and a 10% across-the-board tariff on China last week.

“We’re going to come up with what is the equivalent of an index, what I would call a reciprocal index, country by country, the outstanding tariffs, non-tariff, the trade barriers and currency manipulation,” Bessent explained.

“I’m expecting that we will get this report and we will see how our trading partners choose to respond. But I can tell you that if he needs to, he will implement them,” the Treasury secretary added. “And as he said in the interview yesterday, this can be a big revenue source for the U.S. government.”

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent addresses President Donald Trump’s economic and fiscal goals during his first interview on ‘Kudlow’ since joining the administration.

Bessent also responded to widespread criticism from some economists and market experts that tariffs may exacerbate inflation and create extra costs for consumers.

“I think that is a simplified, reductionist view. It’s typical of the old thinking, and it’s the reason the U.S. has been taken advantage of for years and years. It’s the reason we have these gigantic trade deficits. It’s the reason that many of our products aren’t allowed… to be sold abroad,” he said.

“All President Trump wants is for American businesses to have frictionless trade. And I will stand behind our American manufacturers to make the best products at the best price. And they can sell anywhere in the world without these barriers.”

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White House senior counselor for trade and manufacturing Peter Navarro emphasizes the economic importance of DOGE and President Donald Trump’s reciprocal tariff plan on ‘The Evening Edit.’

According to America’s top money manager, accrued revenue from tariffs solely relies on trade partners’ collaboration.

“It’s going to depend on our trading partners’ responses, how quickly they do it, how much they do it over time,” Bessent said. “But I could tell you that these could be very, very substantial if they don’t want to take their tariffs down because we will match them, percent for percent, dollar for dollar.”

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FOX Business’ Greg Norman contributed to this report.

February 14, 2025
Treasury Sec. Scott Bessent leaves powerful two-word message in Irish airport’s welcome book

The U.S. Treasury secretary left a straight and to the point message in the welcome book at Shannon Airport in Ireland on Thursday, simply leaving the Trump administration’s two-word motto.

The plane Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent was traveling on from Kyiv, Ukraine, made a stop at the western Ireland airport to refuel.

While there, Bessent signed the welcome book, writing, “AMERICA FIRST!”

FOX Business White House correspondent Edward Lawrence snapped a picture of the page, and above Bessent’s entry was an entry from former Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

JD VANCE, TREASURY SEC SCOTT BESSENT TO MEET WITH ZELENSKYY AS TRUMP TEAM SETS SIGHTS ON RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent signed the welcome book at Shannon Airport in Ireland, writing, “AMERICA FIRST!” (Edward Lawrence)

“To all our friends at Shannon – with gratitude for always making us feel at home away from home,” Blinken wrote, though the date of the entry was not visible in the photo.

President Donald Trump announced earlier this week that he was sending Bessent to meet with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

‘LET’S DO A DEAL’: ZELENSKYY CALLS TRUMP’S TERMS ACCEPTABLE FOR SECURITY PARTNERSHIP

Scott Bessent, founder and chief executive officer of Key Square Group LP, at an interview during the Republican National Convention (RNC) near the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, US, on Tuesday, July 16, 2024. Former President Donald Trump tapped JD Vance as his running mate, elevating to the Republican presidential ticket a venture capitalist-turned-senator whose embrace of populist politics garnered national attention and made him a rising star in the party. (Vincent Alban/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

“This War MUST and WILL END SOON — Too much Death and Destruction. The U.S. has spent BILLIONS of Dollars Globally, with little to show,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

Bessent was expected to speak with the Ukrainian president about sanctions, rare Earth minerals and where U.S. funding has gone.

Vice President JD Vance was also meeting with Zelenskyy this week, and both meetings were to take place before U.S. envoy Keith Kellogg travels to Ukraine on Feb. 20.

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Trump tasked Kellogg with hashing out a peace deal with Ukraine and Russia to bring the three-year-long war to an end. Last week Kellogg met with Ukrainian delegates at the State Department.

Fox News Digital’s Morgan Phillips contributed to this report.

Greg Wehner is a breaking news reporter for Fox News Digital.

Story tips and ideas can be sent to [email protected] and on Twitter @GregWehner.

February 13, 2025
Treasury Secretary Bessent discusses economic deal offered to Ukraine’s Zelenskyy

FOX Business correspondent Edward Lawrence breaks down the U.S. treasury secretary’s proposal for a joint economic venture with Ukraine on ‘The Big Money Show.’

EXCLUSIVE: Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Wednesday that funding for Ukraine will come with a new level of “transparency” under the Trump administration.

Dispatched by President Donald Trump as part of an effort to end the conflict with Russia, Bessent spoke with FOX Business correspondent Edward Lawrence in Ukraine after offering an economic investment deal related to rare earth materials to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

“I think by going into partnership with the U.S., it gives a new level of transparency to Ukrainian business,” Bessent said. “And the way we are going to structure the U.S. interest in the fund is very high corporate hygiene standards, best practices. And one assumes that will then be transmitted to the larger Ukraine as a whole.”

TREASURY SECRETARY BESSENT OFFERS ZELENSKYY AN ECONOMIC INVESTMENT DEAL

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent was dispatched to Ukraine as part of an effort to end the conflict with Russia. (Vincent Alban/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Bessent added that the deals the U.S. is involved in will have very high standards and full accountability for any money that the nation is owed.

Zelenskyy said he would review the U.S. proposal and respond by Friday when he meets with Vice President JD Vance in Munich. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will also lead the U.S. delegation at the meeting.

JD VANCE, TREASURY’S BESSENT TO MEET WITH UKRAINE PRESIDENT

While details of the deal have not been disclosed, Bessent said that it anticipates that the U.S. is entitled to revenues that Ukraine is already receiving from some resources. He added that the timing of how quickly the deal will be implemented depends on “the appetite for risk-taking” from the parties that want to commit.

“The real payoff will be when the conflict ends and there is the rush to rebuild Ukraine,” the treasury secretary said. Wall Street firms including JPMorgan and BlackRock have reportedly discussed investing in the war-torn region, as reported by FOX Business in 2023.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addresses the 78th United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York City on Sept. 19, 2023. (Timothy A. Clara/AFP via Getty Images)

As of mid-2024, Congress has approved $175 billion in aid and military assistance to the Ukrainian government since Russia’s invasion in February 2022, according to the nonpartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget.

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The economic deal tied to rare earth materials is the first step in Trump’s deal to restore peace between Ukraine and Russia, Bessent said.

When asked how it fits into a greater peace deal, he said, “It will be showing the Russians that we have an enduring alliance with Ukraine, and then more assets that the U.S. government, U.S. entities have on the ground in Ukraine – that should act as a deterrent over the long run to any more incursions by the Russians.”

February 13, 2025
Treasury Secretary Bessent offers Zelenskyy an economic investment deal

FOX Business correspondent Edward Lawrence breaks down the U.S. Treasury secretary’s proposal for a joint economic venture with Ukraine on ‘The Big Money Show.’

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, in a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, discussed an economic investment deal related to rare earth materials.

FOX Business’ Edward Lawrence reported Zelenskyy would review the proposal and respond on Friday when he meets with Vice President JD Vance.

President Donald Trump dispatched Vance and Bessent to the war-torn region in an effort to end the conflict with Russia.

JD VANCE, TREASURY’S BESSENT TO MEET WITH UKRAINE PRESIDENT

Hours after Bessent’s meeting with Zelenskyy, Trump said he spoke to the Ukrainian president about peacemaking efforts in the region. He said that Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio will lead the delegation at Friday’s meeting in Munich.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addresses the 78th United Nations General Assembly at the U.N. headquarters in New York City on Sept. 19, 2023. (Timothy A. Clara/AFP via Getty Images / Getty Images)

“I am hopeful that the results of that meeting will be positive. It is time to stop this ridiculous War, where there has been massive, and totally unnecessary, DEATH and DESTRUCTION,” Trump posted on Truth Social. “God bless the people of Russia and Ukraine!”

Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022 and the war has raged since. Trump has said that the war would not have happened if he had been in the White House and not former President Joe Biden.

TRUMP NAMES TREASURY SECRETARY SCOTT BESSENT AS ACTING DIRECTOR OF THE CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION BUREAU

In the past few years, Zelenskyy has also visited the U.S., meeting with top Wall Street executives to discuss rebuilding Ukraine’s infrastructure. FOX Business was first to report that firms including JPMorgan and BlackRock had participated in some of the meetings in 2023.

UKRAINE’S ZELENSKYY MEETS WITH JPMORGAN CEO JAMIE DIMON

Zelenskyy also attended the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, in 2024, where he was photographed greeting JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, right, meets with JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon in Davos, Switzerland, in January 2024. (JPMorgan Chase & Co. / Fox News)

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February 13, 2025
JD Vance, Treasury Sec Scott Bessent to meet with Zelenskyy as Trump team sets sights on Russia-Ukraine war

Vice President JD Vance will meet with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday after years of railing against the U.S.’ continued funding of Ukraine in the war against Russia.

The vice president will meet with Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, a Vance spokesperson confirmed to Fox News Digital, just ahead of U.S. envoy Keith Kellogg’s trip to Ukraine on Feb. 20.

Trump announced on Tuesday he would also send Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to meet with Zelenskyy in Ukraine.

“This War MUST and WILL END SOON — Too much Death and Destruction. The U.S. has spent BILLIONS of Dollars Globally, with little to show,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

‘LET’S DO A DEAL’: ZELENSKYY CALLS TRUMP’S TERMS ACCEPTABLE FOR SECURITY PARTNERSHIP

Then-Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, right, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy meet at Trump Tower in New York City on Sept. 27, 2024. (REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton/File Photo)

Bessent is expected to talk about sanctions, rare Earth minerals and where U.S. funding has gone with the Ukrainian leader.

Trump tasked Kellogg with hashing out a peace deal with Ukraine and Russia to bring the three-year-long war to an end. Last week Kellogg met with Ukrainian delegations at the State Department.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth are also attending the conference where the Russia-Ukraine war is sure to be a top focal point.

RUSSIA SAYS US RELATIONS ‘ON THE BRINK OF A BREAKUP,’ WON’T CONFIRM TRUMP-PUTIN TALK

The U.S. does not have a concrete plan yet to end the war, contrary to public reporting, and is listening to concerns and proposals from allies, a European official familiar with peace talks told Fox News Digital.

“Munich is too soon to unveil a Ukraine peace plan,” the official said. “The negotiations between the principals – Trump, Zelenskyy, Putin – will be tough. All options to end the killing are on the table – the course of action will be Trump’s call. There’s still plenty of room to ramp up sanctions.”

Vice President JD Vance will meet with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday after years of railing against the U.S.’ continued funding of Ukraine in the war against Russia. (Getty Images)

Trump said last week he might meet with Zelenksyy himself in the days ahead.

“I will probably be meeting with President Zelenskyy next week and I will probably be talking to President Putin,” Trump said.

In an interview with Fox News’ Bret Baier Monday night, Trump emphasized the need for Ukraine to give the U.S. access to its rare Earth minerals in exchange for its defense. He also suggested Ukraine “may be Russian” someday.

“They may make a deal, they may not make a deal. They may be Russian some day, or they may not be Russian some day,” Trump mused.

“We are going to have all this money in there, and I say I want it back. And I told them that I want the equivalent, like $500 billion worth of rare Earth,” Trump said. “And they have essentially agreed to do that, so at least we don’t feel stupid.”

TRUMP’S ‘RARE’ PRICE FOR US MILITARY AID TO UKRAINE CALLED ‘FAIR’ BY ZELENSKYY

President Donald Trump announced he would send Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to Ukraine. (Vincent Alban/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Both Zelenskyy and Putin have remained opposed to direct talks with each other. Putin is demanding that Ukraine withdraw from regions in the south and east that Kyiv still has control over. Zelenskyy has scoffed at any territorial concessions to Moscow, though he has admitted Ukraine may have to rely on diplomatic means to take back some of its territory.

Vance was long at the forefront of opposition to Ukraine aid in the Senate.

“I gotta be honest with you, I don’t really care what happens to Ukraine one way or another,” he said in February 2022 as Russia invaded.

“Vladimir Putin is not Adolf Hitler. It doesn’t mean he’s a good guy, but he has significantly less capability than the German leader did,” Vance said in an April 2024 speech on the Senate floor.

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A Munich Security report, released just days before world leaders gather in Germany, said that Trump’s election has turned the U.S. into a “risk to be hedged against.”

“Without global leadership of the kind provided by the United States for the past several decades, it is hard to imagine the international community providing global public goods like freedom of navigation or tackling even some of the many grave threats confronting humanity,” the report warned. “The US may be abdicating its historic role as Europe’s security guarantor – with significant consequences for Ukraine.”

February 11, 2025
Trump admin files motion to vacate restraining order prohibiting DOGE access to Treasury payment systems

The Trump administration has filed a motion to vacate or modify a court’s temporary restraining order blocking the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, and political appointees from accessing sensitive Treasury Department payment records.

In the motion, Cloud Software Group, Inc. CEO Tom Krause argued that “it is important that high-level political appointees, such as the Treasury Secretary, Deputy Secretary, Chief of Staff, and Under Secretaries, retain the ability to attend briefings concerning information obtained from the data or systems from Treasury employees with appropriate access to the data or systems in order to perform their job duties.”

Although Krause, who was working at Treasury as a special government employee, admitted that “these high-level officials do not ordinarily need to receive access to or review data from such systems,” he said an event could conceivably occur that could warrant them needing access.

Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly wrote in a temporary restraining order on Saturday that “political appointees, special government employees and any government employee detailed from an agency outside the Treasury Department access to Treasury Department payment systems or any other data maintained by the Treasury Department containing personally identifiable information.”

FEDERAL JUDGE ORDERS LIMITED DOGE ACCESS TO SENSITIVE TREASURY DEPARTMENT PAYMENT SYSTEM RECORDS

Elon Musk leads the Department of Government Efficiency. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Anyone covered under those categories who was given previous access to the sensitive data must “immediately destroy any and all copies of material downloaded from the Treasury Department’s records and systems,” the judge said.

This comes after a group of 19 attorneys general filed a lawsuit against President Donald Trump, the U.S. Treasury and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent alleging that the Trump Administration illegally provided DOGE with unauthorized access to the Treasury Department’s payment systems.

Kollar-Kotelly had earlier said in a temporary restraining order on Thursday that Treasury officials “will not provide access to any payment record or payment system of records maintained within the [Treasury] Bureau of Fiscal Service,” a program that handles an estimated 90% of federal payments.

Elon Musk speaks during an America PAC town hall on October 26, 2024, in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. (Getty Images)

Thursday’s order came a day after the Justice Department agreed in a proposed court order to limit access to the sensitive records to only two special government employees within DOGE who will have read-only permission. Kollar-Kotelly approved the motion in a brief order on Thursday.

The case in the Thursday order was brought by several government employee unions that sued over who could access the material as part of a government-wide evaluation of programs and systems led by DOGE. It argued that Bessent allowed DOGE improper access.

‘AMERICA HAS DOGE FEVER’: STATES FROM NEW JERSEY TO TEXAS DRAFT SIMILAR INITIATIVES AS FEDERAL LEADERS CELEBRATE

Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly temporarily blocked the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) from accessing certain Treasury Department payment records. (Associated Press)

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Under that order, only Krause and Marko Elez — an engineer and former Musk company employee — were allowed continued access to Treasury’s Fiscal Service, but that changed with Saturday’s order.

Krause and Elez were both named as special government employees in the Department of the Treasury, but Elez has since resigned.

February 10, 2025
Trump 100% disagrees with federal judge’s ‘crazy’ ruling blocking DOGE from Treasury system

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President Donald Trump “100 percent” disagrees with a federal judge’s ruling on Saturday that bars the Department of Government Efficiency from accessing the Treasury Department, he said during an exclusive interview with Fox News’ Bret Baier.

“Nineteen states attorneys general filed a lawsuit, and early Saturday a judge agreed with them to restrict Elon Musk and his government efficiency team, DOGE, from accessing Treasury Department payment and data systems. They said there was a risk of ‘irreparable harm.’ What do you make of that? And does that slow you down and what you want to do?” Baier asked Trump in the interview clip.

“No, I disagree with it 100%. I think it’s crazy. And we have to solve the efficiency problem. We have to solve the fraud, waste, abuse, all the things that have gone into the government. You take a look at the USAID, the kind of fraud in there,” Trump responded.

U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of New York Paul Engelmayer, an appointee of former President Barack Obama, issued a temporary restraining order Saturday that sided with 19 Democratic state attorneys general who claimed that giving DOGE “full access” to the Treasury’s payment systems violates the law. The lawsuit was spearheaded by New York Attorney General Letitia James.

JUDGE’S ‘HOPELESSLY AMBIGUOUS’ ORDER BARRING DOGE FROM TREASURY SPARKS CONCERN BESSENT MAY ALSO BE LOCKED OUT

Fox News host Bret Baier will sit down with President Trump for an interview on Super Bowl Sunday. (Fox New)

The judge’s sweeping order, issued Saturday, bars DOGE from accessing the Treasury system until at least Feb. 14, when Engelmayer scheduled a hearing to revisit the matter.

The language of the order specifically bars “political appointees, special government employees, and any government employee detailed from an agency outside the Treasury Department access to Treasury Department payment systems or any other data maintained by the Treasury Department containing personally identifiable information.” Trump, Secretary Scott Bessent and the U.S. Treasury are named as defendants in the case.

FEDERAL JUDGE BLOCKS ELON MUSK’S DOGE FROM ACCESSING TREASURY RECORDS AFTER DEMOCRATIC AGS FILE LAWSUIT

President Trump speaks (Fox News)

Musk, Vice President JD Vance and other conservatives aligned with Trump have slammed the order.

“If a judge tried to tell a general how to conduct a military operation, that would be illegal. If a judge tried to command the attorney general in how to use her discretion as a prosecutor, that’s also illegal. Judges aren’t allowed to control the executive’s legitimate power,” Vance posted to X on Sunday of the order.

Elon Musk is leading the Department of Government Efficiency. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Trump spoke with Baier in an exclusive interview with Fox News ahead of the Super Bowl, which Trump will attend. The pair discussed the president’s long love of sports and football, as well as politics and DOGE.

“We’re talking about hundreds of millions of dollars of money that’s going to places where it shouldn’t be going,” Trump said when asked about what DOGE has found while auditing federal agencies in search of government overspending, fraud and corruption.

PRESIDENT TRUMP PREDICTS ELON MUSK WILL FIND ‘HUNDREDS OF BILLIONS’ IN WASTE IN NEXT DOGE DIRECTIVES

“Where if I read a list, you’d say, this is ridiculous, and you’ve read the same list and there are many that you haven’t even seen, it’s crazy. It’s a big scam. Now there’s some good money and we can do that through, any one of a number. I think I’d rather give it to Marco Rubio over at the State Department. Let him take care of the few good ones. So, I don’t know if it’s kickbacks or what’s going on, but the people. Look, I ran on this, and the people want me to find it. And I’ve had a great help with Elon Musk, who’s been terrific,” he continued.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau met with President-elect Trump at Mar-a-Lago in Florida on Friday Nov. 29, 2024 to discuss topics like the economy, illegal immigration and a proposed 25% tariff. (Justin Trudeau X)

Baier also asked Trump about his recent comments about Canada becoming the U.S.’ 51st state and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeay saying last week that Trump’s desire to acquire the nation is a “a real thing.”

TRUDEAU SAYS TRUMP IS SERIOUS ABOUT CANADA BECOMING 51ST STATE: REPORTS

“Yeah, it is,” Trump said when asked about Trudeau’s remark. “I think Canada would be much better off being a 51st state because we lose $200 billion a year with Canada, and I’m not going to let that happen. It’s too much. Why are we paying $200 billion a year essentially in subsidy to Canada? Now, if they’re our 51st state, I don’t mind doing it.”

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Trump will spend his Sunday evening in New Orleans, where the Chiefs and Eagles will face off in the Super Bowl. Trump is expected to return to the White House on Sunday evening following the game.

Baier’s full interview with Trump will air Monday during “Special Report with Bret Baier.”

February 10, 2025
Judge’s ‘hopelessly ambiguous’ order barring DOGE from Treasury sparks concern Bessent may also be locked out

A federal judge’s order barring DOGE from accessing Treasury Department data is vague enough that some legal experts believe it even blocks the agency’s secretary from reviewing records and systems, prompting Republicans to blast what they consider judicial overreach.

U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of New York Paul Engelmayer, an appointee of former President Barack Obama, issued a temporary restraining order Saturday that sided with 19 Democratic state attorneys general who claimed that giving DOGE “full access” to the Treasury’s payment systems violates the law. The lawsuit was spearheaded by New York Attorney General Letitia James, a longtime Trump foe who said her office is “prepared to fight back” after President Donald Trump’s November election win.

“The judge’s order is rightly being attacked as, at worse, barring the secretary of the Treasury from accessing the Treasury Department’s databases and at best, at being hopelessly ambiguous and confusing,” the Federalist’s senior legal correspondent Margot Cleveland told Fox News Digital on Sunday of the order.

The judge’s sweeping order, issued Saturday, bars DOGE from accessing the Treasury system until at least Feb. 14, when Engelmayer scheduled a hearing to revisit the matter.

ELON MUSK ALLEGES $50B IN FRAUD AT TREASURY AFTER JUDGE BLOCKS DOGE AUDIT

Scott Bessent testifies before a Senate Finance Committee hearing on his nomination to be secretary of the Treasury, on Capitol Hill, on Jan. 16, 2025. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)

The language of the order specifically bars “political appointees, special government employees, and any government employee detailed from an agency outside the Treasury Department access to Treasury Department payment systems or any other data maintained by the Treasury Department containing personally identifiable information.” Trump, Secretary Scott Bessent and the U.S. Treasury are named as defendants in the case.

FEDERAL JUDGE BLOCKS ELON MUSK’S DOGE FROM ACCESSING TREASURY RECORDS AFTER DEMOCRATIC AGS FILE LAWSUIT

President-elect Donald Trump and Elon Musk arrive to view a launch of the SpaceX Starship rocket on Nov. 19, 2024, in Brownsville, Texas. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

Conservatives and legal experts on social media have slammed the language of the order for reportedly also barring Bessent from Treasury data.

Fox News Digital reached out to the Treasury, White House and the Southern District on Sunday for comment, but did not immediately receive replies.

ELON MUSK’S DOGE MAKES ANOTHER HIRING PUSH

“To comprehend how bad Judge Engelmayer’s decision was granting [a temporary restraining order] barring the Secretary of the Treasury Dept as well as DOGE & every other political appointee from accessing data, you need to compare to parallel case where a judge denied injunction,” Cleveland posted to X.

Others on social media argued the order does not bar Bessent from accessing the data, only barring him from granting access to the data to political appointees, special government employees, and government officials outside of the Treasury Department.

Cleveland told Fox News Digital on Sunday that beyond the vague language in the order, the attorneys general lack standing to challenge DOGE and the Treasury.

PRESIDENT TRUMP PREDICTS ELON MUSK WILL FIND ‘HUNDREDS OF BILLIONS’ IN WASTE IN NEXT DOGE DIRECTIVES

“There is a more fatal flaw to the [temporary restraining order]: The Plaintiffs utterly lack standing to challenge DOGE and the Treasury Department’s decision to grant read-only access to select members of that executive agency’s team. With read-only access, DOGE cannot possibly use access to the Treasury Department’s system to freeze grants to the Blue States or their citizens; nor does such read-only access subject Plaintiffs to a higher hack-risk. And without standing, there is no basis to bring a lawsuit, much less to justify the TRO,” she said.

Elon Musk and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent (Getty Images)

Bessent sent a letter to Congress early last week detailing that DOGE was given “read only” access to the Treasury data, and that the investigation has “not caused payments for obligations such as Social Security and Medicare to be delayed or re-routed.”

DOGE, led by Musk, has been on an investigation blitz of the federal government to stamp out government overspending and fraud. Musk reported after Engelmayer’s ruling that DOGE had already reportedly uncovered fraud at the national treasury.

“[Friday], I was told that there are currently over $100B/year of entitlements payments to individuals with no SSN or even a temporary ID number. If accurate, this is extremely suspicious,” Musk wrote hours after the ruling.

“When I asked if anyone at Treasury had a rough guess for what percentage of that number is unequivocal and obvious fraud, the consensus in the room was about half, so $50B/year or $1B/week!! This is utterly insane and must be addressed immediately.”

Vice President JD Vance also weighed in on the order Sunday, slamming it as a judge trying to control “the executive’s legitimate power.”

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“If a judge tried to tell a general how to conduct a military operation, that would be illegal. If a judge tried to command the attorney general in how to use her discretion as a prosecutor, that’s also illegal. Judges aren’t allowed to control the executive’s legitimate power,” he posted to X.

Vice President JD Vance claps at campaign event. (Getty Images)

Musk seethed following the order that Engelmayer should be “impeached.”

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“A corrupt judge protecting corruption. He needs to be impeached NOW!” he said in response to another social media post reporting Bessent was reportedly blocked from accessing his own agency’s data.

Fox News Digital’s Andrea Margolis contributed to this report.

February 9, 2025
Elon Musk outlines ‘super obvious’ changes DOGE and Treasury have agreed to make

Billionaire Elon Musk outlined a list of “super obvious” changes that his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) plans to make at the U.S. Treasury Department this weekend.

Musk says officials at the treasury are working to make the government’s books more simple to audit, as well as more accountability for where funds are going. The changes also require treasury employees to more frequently update the congressional “do not pay” list, which highlights fraudsters and illegal fronts.

“Nobody in Treasury management cared enough before. I do want to credit the working level people in Treasury who have wanted to do this for many years, but have been stopped by prior management,” Musk said.

“Everything at Treasury was geared towards complain[t] minimization. People [who] receive money don’t complain, but people who don’t receive money (especially fraudsters) complain very loudly, so the fraud was allowed to continue,” he added.

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“The above super obvious and necessary changes are being implemented by existing, long-time career government employees, not anyone from DOGE,” Musk added.

“It is ridiculous that these changes didn’t exist already! Yesterday, I was told that there are currently over $100B/year of entitlements payments to individuals with no SSN or even a temporary ID number,” he continued. “If accurate, this is extremely suspicious. When I asked if anyone at Treasury had a rough guess for what percentage of that number is unequivocal and obvious fraud, the consensus in the room was about half, so $50B/year or $1B/week!! This is utterly insane and must be addressed immediately.”

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Billionaire Elon Musk’s DOGE is targeting the Treasury Department. (Kenny Holston-Pool/Getty Images)

Musk’s tirade toward the treasury department comes just after a federal judge blocked DOGE’s ability to access treasury department systems. The Tesla CEO condemned the ruling as “insane” this weekend.

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The Friday lawsuit, which was filed by 19 Democratic attorneys general, claimed Musk’s team violated the law by being given “full access” to the Treasury’s payment systems. The systems include information about Americans’ Social Security, Medicare and veterans’ benefits, tax refund information and more.

The lawsuit was filed in New York by the office of New York Attorney General Letitia James, who wrote that President Donald Trump “does not have the power to give away Americans’ private information to anyone he chooses, and he cannot cut federal payments approved by Congress.”

A federal judge intervened to block DOGE from accessing treasury department systems. (ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP via Getty Images)

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has expressed support for Musk and DOGE in the past, recently saying that the U.S. “doesn’t have a revenue problem, we have a spending problem.”

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“At the Treasury, our payment system is not being touched,” Bessent said in a “Kudlow” interview on Wednesday. “We process 1.3 billion payments a year. There is a study being done — can we have more accountability, more accuracy, more traceability that the money is going where it is?”

Anders Hagstrom is a reporter with Fox News Digital covering national politics and major breaking news events. Send tips to [email protected], or on Twitter: @Hagstrom_Anders.

February 9, 2025