The University of California group, representing undergraduates on nine campuses, is suing the U.S. Department of Education, accusing Doge, an advisory group led by Elon Musk of illegally giving access to private financial aid data. .
Suit by UC Student Assn. It was filed Monday in the U.S. District Court in Washington, DC, claiming that the education department violates the Privacy Act of 1974, significantly excludes sharing personal information with third parties. . They are asking federal judges to halt alleged access to the government’s Efficiency Bureau.
Aditi Hariharan, president of UC Student Assn, said in a statement that the students “didn’t agree that our personal information would be shared with non-elected, non-discussedly approved entities.” I stated.
The lawsuit provides grants for K-12 schooling programs and manages more than $1.5 trillion in federal student loans for 43 million Americans as tensions grows throughout the department’s future. Masu. Trump has pledged to remove the department and told his education secretary candidate Linda McMahon this week he hopes to “take himself away from work.”
A spokesman for the education division, which reached Friday, said he had not commented on the pending lawsuit.
The spokesman did not respond to follow-up questions about whether DOGE members have access to departmental or financial aid information. A report this week in the Washington Post said that around 20 members of Musk’s team were working within the department, citing anonymous sources.
Speaking to the Times on Friday, the Educational Vocational Public Servant said it is “widely known” that Doge has access to the department. The person spoke anonymously because he was not allowed to speak to the media.
Students are worried about the possibility that Doge has access to private financial information.
“We trust that when students apply for financial aid, they will be safe when they enter their Social Security number on the application or agree to get a federal loan,” nutrition science. “Releasing personal data from student loan borrowers is an incredible betrayal by the government.”
Rep. Mark Takano (D Riverside) and representatives of the council will be entering the Ministry of Education building on February 7, 2025.
(Matt Schoon Maker)
The National Student Legine Dewense Network and the Public Citizens’ Litigation Group represent the Student Association.
“The defendant’s lawsuit has continued and continued access to information over an unspecified period, and millions of Americans from all life courses, and they “We will not guarantee sensitive information, and parents or spouses. We will receive the protections provided by federal law,” the lawsuit was filed against the deputy education secretary Dennis Carter and the department. He said that.
“Because the defendant’s actions and decisions are shrouded in secret, individuals do not even have basic information about the defendant’s sharing with external parties or how the information is being used. ” he added.
On Friday, dozens of Congressional Democrats led by California members protested Trump’s goal of closing the department and reported access to Doge’s information, and after they announced their protest goal of reporting access to information He said it had closed its headquarters.
A group of at least 30 representatives, including California’s Mark Takano (D Riverside), Maxine Waters (D-Los Angeles), Luz Rivas (D-Los Angeles) and Latte Fa Simon (D-Oakland), said they came to the building. I did. After writing a letter to the proxy education secretary to demand a meeting over Trump’s education plan.
“Billionaire Elon Musk can put his minions in the division, but we, our superintendents,” Takano, a Democrat on the House Committee on Republican-led Education and Workforce, said in an interview. Members of the Congress who have a role cannot do it.”
“Musk was not elected anything and was never confirmed by the Senate,” said Takano, who represents parts of Riverside County.
Asked about the representatives of the council, a spokesman for the Education Department said, “The protests were organized by members of the council who had exercised the first amendment rights at their disposal, which they had planned appointments. There was none.”
During a news briefing on Friday, Trump criticized lawmakers.
“I see the same thing. I see the water in Maxine, the low life. I know all these people,” he said. “They don’t love our country. They don’t love our country. We want a great education,” he said, “I want education to ‘return to America’.” He said he was there.
Asked this week if he would issue an executive order to dismantle the department, Trump said: I opposed that. ”
Democrats and some Republicans have questioned whether the president has the power to abolish the federal division. Congress will establish a division under President Carter and provide federal funding through its budgetary role.
Also, laws relating to whether the president can unilaterally transfer functions from one department of government to another, such as moving student loan surveillance, such as oversight to the Department of Treasury or civil rights enforcement to the Department of Justice. There are also questions like this.
If Congressional approval is required to close the education sector, Republicans could only have a narrow majority in the House and Senate, and the Senate’s democratically-led filibuster could block the move.
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