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The American public may well applaud and support the Trump Administration’s mission
to root out fraud, waste, and bloat from federal agencies, including SSA, to the extent it exists.
But, by what means and methods?

The DOGE Team is essentially engaged in a fishing expedition at SSA, in search of a fraud
epidemic, based on little more than suspicion. It has launched a search for the proverbial needle
in the haystack, without any concrete knowledge that the needle is actually in the haystack.
To facilitate the expedition, SSA provided members of the SSA DOGE Team with
unbridled access to the personal and private data of millions of Americans, including but not
limited to Social Security numbers, medical records, mental health records, hospitalization records,
drivers’ license numbers, bank and credit card information, tax information, income history, work
history, birth and marriage certificates, and home and work addresses.

Yet, defendants, with so called experts on the DOGE Team, never identified or articulated
even a single reason for which the DOGE Team needs unlimited access to SSA’s entire record
systems, thereby exposing personal, confidential, sensitive, and private information that millions
of Americans entrusted to their government. Indeed, the government has not even attempted to
explain why a more tailored, measured, titrated approach is not suitable to the task. Instead, the
government simply repeats its incantation of a need to modernize the system and uncover fraud.

Its method of doing so is tantamount to hitting a fly with a sledgehammer.

In my view, plaintiffs are likely to succeed on their claim that such action is arbitrary and
capricious, and in violation of the Privacy Act and the APA. Plaintiffs have also demonstrated
that their members will suffer irreparable harm in the absence of a TRO, the equities tip in their
favor, and the TRO serves the public interest.

For the foregoing reasons, plaintiffs’ Motion (ECF 21) is granted. A Temporary
Restraining Order shall issue.