Trump Rebukes Judge Blocking DOGE Access At Treasury As ‘Crazy’

President Donald Trump strongly opposed a recent ruling by a federal judge that the Treasury Department should restrict access to its payment systems, permitting only "civil servants with a need for access to perform their job duties."

"I disagree with it 100 percent; I think it’s crazy. We have to solve the efficiency problem; we have to solve the fraud, waste, abuse," Trump stated in an interview with Fox News's Bret Baier. His remarks aired on Sunday in a pre-recorded segment when he was asked about the judge's decision.

Later that day, Trump expressed his frustration to reporters, describing the ruling as both disheartening and shameful, as reported by The Hill.

"When a president can’t look for fraud and waste and abuse, we don’t have a country anymore. So, we’re very disappointed with the judges that would make such a ruling, but we have a long way to go. We have to look; we have to find all of the fraud that’s going on. We have tremendous fraud, tremendous waste and tremendous abuse and theft, by the way," Trump said.

He further criticized the judiciary, stating, "No judge should frankly be allowed to make that kind of a decision, it’s a disgrace."

The ruling, issued late Saturday by U.S. District Judge Paul Engelmayer, determined that individuals serving as special government employees or those assigned temporarily from outside agencies are not permitted to access Treasury Department systems. Among those affected by this decision is billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

During his Fox interview, Trump also took aim at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), calling it "fraudulent." With DOGE assuming control over several agencies to cut costs, USAID has significantly scaled back operations.

"Hundreds of millions of dollars in money that’s going to places where it shouldn’t be going," Trump remarked. "It’s a big scam."

He then suggested that funds could be better managed under the direction of Senator Marco Rubio, saying, "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."

Judge Engelmayer, who was appointed by former President Barack Obama, mandated that anyone newly restricted under the ruling must immediately delete any Treasury Department data they previously accessed.

Musk responded to the decision by calling for Engelmayer’s removal, branding him "corrupt" and accusing him of "protecting corruption."

The judge overseeing the ongoing case, filed by 19 Democratic state attorneys general, has scheduled a hearing in New York for Friday to determine whether the ruling should remain in place for an extended period. Until then, the decision stands.

Musk’s efforts to gain access to multiple federal agencies’ systems have resulted in various legal battles. Concerns among Democrats have grown over DOGE’s ability to use the Treasury Department’s payment networks.

Meanwhile, a coalition of labor unions has initiated legal action, prompting the Trump administration to agree to restrict two individuals' access to Treasury systems until the legal proceedings advance.

DOGE has ramped up its initiatives in recent weeks.

Within its first two weeks, DOGE eliminated approximately $1 billion in spending by terminating 85 contracts linked to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) initiatives.

These cuts spanned 24 federal agencies, including the Department of Education, Department of Labor, Treasury, Defense, USDA, Homeland Security, and the Environmental Protection Agency.

"Through 1/29/2025, 85 DEIA-related contracts totaling ~$1B have been terminated within the Dept. of Ed, GSA, OPM, EPA, DoL, Treasury, DoD, USDA, Commerce, DHS, VA, HHS, State, NSF, NRC, NLRB, PBGC, USAID, RRB, SSA, SBA, BLM, CFPB, NPS, and NOAA," DOGE announced on X.

Among the agencies hit hardest, the Office of Personnel Management faced nearly $500 million in contract cancellations.

The Department of Agriculture followed, with roughly $110 million in contracts revoked.

Other agencies also saw major cuts, including:

• The Department of Homeland Security, which reduced spending by $14.9 million.
• The Department of Health and Human Services, which slashed $28.1 million.
• The Department of Labor, which cut $7.8 million.
• The Department of Treasury, which eliminated $25.2 million in expenses.
• The Environmental Protection Agency, which reduced spending by $3 million.
• The Department of Education, which cut $3.8 million.
• The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which saw budget reductions amounting to $45 million.