19 States File Lawsuit Alleges Unauthorized Access to Americans' Data by DOGE Program, Citing Cybersecurity Risks and Privacy Act Violations. DOGE, a Trump Administration Task Force, Granted Access to Treasury Department's Bureau of Fiscal Services.
New York Attorney General Letitia James, joined by 18 other state attorneys general , filed a lawsuit Friday against the Trump administration over the Department of Government Efficiency ( DOGE ) program. The lawsuit alleges that DOGE engaged in unauthorized access to sensitive information, including Americans' data on federal computer systems at the Treasury Department .
The states involved in the suit are Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Wisconsin. DOGE continues its sweep through the federal government, demanding access and information, some of it sensitive. The lawsuit asks a judge to grant a temporary restraining order against the Trump administration, alleging violations of the Privacy Act of 1974 and the Tax Reform Act of 1976, as well as other laws. It also argues that DOGE's access poses cybersecurity risks. 'Nineteen States bring this action against Treasury, the Treasury Secretary, and the President to put an end to this new dangerous expanded access policy,' the lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York reads. 'In the past week, the U.S. Department of the Treasury has given Elon Musk access to Americans' personal private information, state bank account data, and other information that is some of our country's most sensitive data,' James said in a statement prior to the lawsuit's filing.However, the Treasury Department has stated that DOGE only has 'read-only' access to its systems and cannot affect expenditures, according to a letter a department official sent to Congress Wednesday. CBS News has reached out to the White House for comment on the lawsuit. DOGE, a Trump administration task force assigned to find ways to reduce federal spending, now has access to a Treasury unit called the Bureau of the Fiscal Services (BFS), which disburses trillions in payments each year, including Social Security checks and federal salaries, according to The Associated Press. According to the lawsuit, prior to DOGE receiving access, 'only a limited number of career civil servants at BFS with appropriate security clearance had access to the BFS payment systems.' Since February 2, however, the lawsuit states that, at the direction of the president and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, the Treasury 'adopted and began implementing a new policy that grants expanded access to BFS payment systems to political appointees and 'special government employees' ('SGEs') for reasons that have yet to be adequately explained.' That is in reference to Musk's categorization by the White House as a special government employee. 'As the richest man in the world, Elon Musk is not used to being told 'no,' but in our country, no one is above the law. The president does not have the power to give away our private information to anyone he chooses, and he cannot cut federal payments approved by Congress,' James said in her previous statement. 'This level of access for unauthorized individuals is unlawful, unprecedented, and unacceptable. DOGE has no authority to access this information, which they explicitly sought in order to block critical payments that millions of Americans rely on — payments that support health care, childcare, and other essential programs.
DOGE Trump Administration Privacy Act Security Breach Treasury Department Elon Musk State Attorneys General Lawsuit Federal Spending Cybersecurity
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