Washington DC - Officials in the Donald Trump administration will be required to testify under oath in a lawsuit over the Department of Government Efficiency's (DOGE) access to sensitive federal information systems.

US District Judge John Bates on Thursday ruled that unions suing the Trump administration for allowing DOGE to access sensitive government data can question four officials.

Bates will allow union lawyers to question a DOGE official, an official from the Department of Labor, one from the Department of Health and Human Services, and another from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

It has not been made clear which officials will be obliged to testify under oath, but each deposition may reach a total of eight hours and will focus on the role of DOGE, its authority, and its access to government data and systems.

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A preliminary injunction – which would theoretically block DOGE from accessing such systems until the lawsuit is concluded – is being considered but has not yet been finalized or confirmed by Bates.

DOGE has been on a slashing spree since President Trump was inaugurated on January 20, not only cutting countless jobs and gutting key agencies, but accessing government data as well.

Unions including the American Federation of Government Employees allege that DOGE's access to this data is unlawful and are seeking to bar the department from using these sensitive systems.

Bates said that requesting documentations and depositions from DOGE officials was "necessary to determine the contours of the agency actions," and said that such requests "will not not overly burden defendants."

"It would be strange to permit defendants to submit evidence that addresses critical factual issues and proceed to rule [without] permitting plaintiffs to explore those factual issues through very limited discovery," Bates said in the ruling.