FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Contact: Matt Dorsey
(202) 550-6987
February 24, 2025
Washington, D.C. – Today, the National Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE-IAM) and allies have won an injunction to prevent Elon Musk and the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) from accessing private information of federal workers at the Office of Personnel Management (OPM).
Six individuals, including military veterans, personally harmed by DOGE’s theft of their private information joined the suit filed by NFFE, the IAM, and other labor organizations. The suit alleges that DOGE staff have not been properly vetted and have been granted access to some of the government’s most sensitive data systems, in violation of the Privacy Act.
“NFFE and our partners filed this lawsuit because Musk and his DOGE operatives have no right to access extremely sensitive information of the American people, particularly federal workers who have been targeted and attacked since Inauguration Day,” said NFFE National President Randy Erwin. “It is clear that these unauthorized actors intended to use this illegally acquired data to advance their political agenda and undermine the civil service.”
The U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland ruled that the claim from the plaintiffs — including military veterans and unions representing millions of veterans, teachers, scientists, engineers, federal employees — would likely be successful. The plaintiffs argue that OPM and the Education Department violated the Privacy Act by granting DOGE affiliates unauthorized access to systems containing sensitive personal information including Social Security numbers, bank account information, health records, and other private data.
“NFFE will always fight to protect our members, who have a right to privacy regardless of who is in the White House,” continued Erwin. “This is just one of the many attacks that federal employees have faced over the past month. We will continue to challenge any violations of law to ensure our members can do their jobs in service to the American public.”