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U.S. Department of Education Agrees to Temporarily Stop Sharing Student Data with DOGE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 11, 2025

MEDIA CONTACTS
Student Defense
press@defendstudents.org
646-599-2235

Public Citizen
obaddar@citizen.org 

U.S. Department of Education Agrees to Temporarily Stop Sharing Student Data with DOGE 

Washington, D.C. — Today, the U.S. Department of Education agreed to the entry of an order by the U.S. District Court in the District of Columbia,  temporarily barring members of the “DOGE” team from accessing the U.S. Department of Education’s databases related to federal student aid and other systems until at least Feb. 17, when the Court is expected to issue a further order.

The order comes after Student Defense and Public Citizen Litigation Group filed an emergency motion on behalf of the University of California Student Association on Monday in a lawsuit alleging that by sharing confidential student data with DOGE, the Department of Education violated the Privacy Act, Internal Revenue Code, and Department regulations. Pursuant to the Court’s order, the Department of Education will not allow any “DOGE” employees or any Department of Education employee, consultant, or volunteer tasked with carrying out President Trump’s Executive Order titled “Establishing and Implementing the President’s Department of Government Efficiency” to access the following systems:

  • National Student Loan Data System

  • Common Origination and Disbursement System

  • Future Act System

  • Financial Management System

  • Partner Connect

  • Person Authentication Service

  • Common Services for Borrowers

  • Data Challenges and Appeals Solutions (DCAS) System

  • Health Education Assistance Loan (HEAL) Program 

  • Aid Awareness and Application Processing

  • Enterprise Data Management and Analytics Platform Services (EDMAPS)

  • Postsecondary Education Participants System (PEPS)

  • TRIO Programs Annual Performance Report (APR)

“While today’s agreement puts further damage on hold,  we look forward to putting a permanent end to these egregious violations,” said Student Defense Vice President Dan Zibel. “Millions of students still are questioning whether their personal information is in unsafe hands, and we need answers from the Department of Education to fully account for any data that’s already been breached.”

“DOGE employees have no legitimate need for students and their families’ personal information. The Department of Education’s attempts to evade federal privacy laws must be stopped,” said Public Citizen Litigation Group Attorney Adam Pulver.

Read the court order and the full complaint.