J. Philippe Abraham Vice President | American Federation of Teachers
A federal court has issued a preliminary injunction against Elon Musk's initiative, the 'Department of Government Efficiency', blocking it from receiving private data from three government departments. The ruling prevents the Education Department, the Office of Personnel Management, and the Department of the Treasury from sharing such information.
Randi Weingarten, President of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), expressed support for this decision. "Elon Musk’s operatives have been running roughshod over Americans’ privacy," she stated. She emphasized that Americans trust their personal information to be protected when they apply for services like student loans or financial aid. "They do not expect it to be transferred to a third party, rifled through by outsiders or fed into AI software," Weingarten added.
Weingarten highlighted concerns about privacy in her statement: "This is the United States, not Putin’s Russia, and Americans still believe our government should preserve freedom and privacy." She called for accountability from Musk and his organization DOGE, describing the injunction as an important step forward.
The AFT leadership team includes Secretary-Treasurer Fedrick C. Ingram and Executive Vice President Evelyn DeJesus. The federation maintains that any use of its materials requires permission.
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