Washington, February 19 (RHC)-- A federal judge in Washington, D.C., has declined the request of 14 Democratic state attorneys general to immediately bar Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, from accessing federal data systems. 

In her ruling, U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan appeared skeptical about the Trump administration’s claims about Musk and DOGE’s powers to carry out mass firings at government agencies, but Chutkan said she would not issue a temporary restraining order since states had not shown they would suffer “imminent, irreparable harm.”

Among the latest government agencies targeted by DOGE is the National Science Foundation, which on Tuesday fired 168 employees, or about 10% of its workforce. The cuts came as the Trump administration seeks to fire nearly all probationary employees who haven’t yet gained civil service protection, including even longtime government employees who were recently hired or promoted into new positions. 

The Partnership for Public Service estimates about a quarter of a million federal employees are considered “probationary.” 

Unionized federal government workers are holding protests in Washington, D.C., and in cities across the U.S. in a coordinated “Save Our Services Day of Action.”

Meanwhile, the Houston Chronicle is reporting that probationary employees at NASA will be spared from the latest round of layoffs ordered by DOGE, after an 11th-hour reprieve Tuesday. 

NASA is the largest customer to SpaceX, awarding over $13 billion in contracts to Elon Musk’s private spaceflight company over the past decade. 

[ SOURCE: DEMOCRACY NOW ]