WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge declined Tuesday to immediately block billionaire Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency from accessing government data systems or participating in worker layoffs.

A judge on Tuesday declined to immediately block Elon Musk's government efficiency department from directing firings of federal workers or accessing databases, but said the case raises questions about Musk's apparent unchecked authority as a top deputy to President Donald Trump.

The top Social Security official has reportedly resigned in protest over the effort led by billionaire Elon Musk to gain access to recipients’ personal information. Social Security Agency acting commissioner Michelle King stepped down over the weekend after Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency pressed to obtain user data for the retirement program serving tens of millions of Americans.