On Friday, President filed a lawsuit with nineteen Democrat attorneys general to prevent Elon Musk’s Department of Government Performance from accessing Treasury Department files that contain sensitive personal information, including Social Security and bank account numbers for millions of Americans.
The Trump administration’s team’s exposure to the Treasury Department’s key payment system is claimed in the federal court case, which was filed in New York City, in violation of federal law.
The payment system processes tax refunds, Social Security benefits, veterans ‘ benefits, and many other things, sending out trillions of dollars annually while containing a sizable database of Americans ‘ personal and financial data.
A request for comment was not instantly addressed at the White House.
The Department of Government Efficiency, or Expand, created by Musk to uncover and eliminate what the Trump administration believes to be inefficient government spending. Despite the increasing power of Musk, supporters of DOGE have expressed their support for reining in sluggish government finances, while critics have expressed widespread concern over DOGE’s entry to Treasury records as well as its examination of various government agencies.
Musk has mocked Expand on his X social media platform while claiming that it is saving payers millions of dollars.
Letitia James, the attorney general of New York, whose office filed the lawsuit, claimed DOGE’s access to the Treasury Department’s data raises safety concerns and the possibility of an improper freeze in federal money.
In a digital information released by her office, James stated that this unaccountable group, led by the world’s richest man, is not authorized to have this information and that they have expressly sought unauthorized access to illegally stop payments that millions of Americans rely on. These include payments for child care, health care, and other vital programs.
James, a Democrat who has been one of Trump’s chief antagonists, said the president does not have the power to give away American’s private information to anyone he chooses, and he cannot cut federal payments approved by Congress.
Also on the lawsuit are Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Wisconsin.
The lawsuit contends that DOGE’s access to the Treasury’s records could obstruct funding that Congress has already authorized, which would be above the Treasury Department’s statutory authority. The case also argues that the DOGE access violates federal administrative law and the U. S. Constitution’s separation of powers doctrine.
Additionally, it accuses Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent of altering the department’s longstanding policy to allow Musk’s DOGE team to access its payment systems.
” This decision failed to account for legal obligations to protect such data and ignored the privacy expectations of federal fund recipients”, including states, veterans, retirees, and taxpayers, the lawsuit says.
It’s unclear what DOGE is doing with the information in the Treasury systems, according to .
” This is the largest data breach in American history”, Tong said in a statement. ” DOGE is a band of renegade tech bros who were knowingly sifting through sensitive financial records, sensitive data, and critical payment systems.” What could go wrong”?
No changes are being made, according to the Treasury Department, who stated that the review is aimed at assessing the system’s reliability. According to two people with knowledge of the procedure, Musk’s team began looking into ways to stop the U.S. Agency for International Development from making payments, which Trump and Musk are attempting to demantle. For fear of reprisals, the two people spoke with The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity.
Separately, Democratic lawmakers are of DOGE’s access to the government’s payment system.
Additionally, labor unions and advocacy groups have filed lawsuits to stop the payments system review due to legal concerns. Two employees had temporary access to two employees with “read only” privileges, according to a judge in Washington on Thursday.
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Associated Press writer Dave Collins in Hartford, Connecticut, contributed to this report.