Unions File Lawsuit to Prevent DOGE Access to Labor Department Computer Systems
The lawsuit was filed on the same day as a nationwide protest against DOGE’s proposed changes to the federal government.
WASHINGTON—A group of labor unions initiated a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Labor and its acting secretary, Vince Micone, on February 5. The aim is to prevent the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by tech mogul Elon Musk, from gaining access to the agency’s computer data.
Elon Musk’s DOGE is also named in the lawsuit as a defendant.
The legal complaint accuses DOGE of planning to unlawfully access data from the Labor Department’s systems and indicates that it “will terminate any employee who defends the integrity of those systems.”
Additionally, the suit claims that Musk will have access to data related to the Labor Department’s investigations into his business dealings.
Among the plaintiffs are the AFL-CIO, the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), and the Economic Policy Institute, a D.C.-based think tank. They are seeking a temporary restraining order or an administrative stay to prevent DOGE from proceeding.
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As of publication, neither Musk nor DOGE representatives have commented.
White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt stated on Wednesday that Musk will recuse himself from matters where he experiences a conflict of interest.
The legal action coincided with a rally outside the Labor Department building, just a few blocks from the Capitol. Several lawmakers from both chambers, including Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Rep. Steven Horsford (D-Nev.), and Rep. Glenn Ivey (D-Md.), participated in the event.
The rally faced challenges due to the lack of a sound system, resulting in attendees frequently calling out “We can’t hear you” during speeches.
Counter-protesters were also present, chanting “Trump, Trump” during lawmakers’ speeches, with one individual shouting, “What are you doing here, get back in Congress!”
Some government employees who spoke to The Epoch Times under anonymity expressed their frustration toward the Democrats’ attempts to hinder President Donald Trump and Musk’s cost-reduction initiatives.
“It feels like it’s all talking and no action,” remarked an international development worker, using the name Sarah as a pseudonym.
Her companion, identified as Allen, shared a similar view. “What fight? They keep mentioning ‘fighting.’ They’re going to spend years in court, talking all this [expletive] without taking any real action,” he said.
“I’m not inspired by any of those people. I want to be,” he added, gesturing towards the Congress members waiting to speak.
Prior to the Labor Department protest, another rally took place outside the Russell Senate office building, featuring speeches and calls to action from lawmakers.
This demonstration was part of a coordinated national protest against Trump and Musk, occurring in every state capital, focusing on the defunding of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the largest distributor of foreign aid in the country.
“This is an effort to take over USAID and then leverage that to target the [Environmental Protection Agency], and Medicaid and Medicare,” Sen. Markey stated at the rally.
The senator urged “millions of people” to join in organizing national and global protests against the government overhauls led by Trump and Musk.
“When we return here next time, there should be hundreds of thousands, if not millions, marching on Washington, D.C.,” he said.
Reuters contributed to this report.
