Attorney General Neronha joins multistate coalition in suing to stop Elon Musk and DOGE’s unauthorized access to Americans’ private information

Published on Saturday, February 08, 2025

Attorney General Peter F. Neronha today joined 18 attorneys general in filing a lawsuit against the Trump administration to stop the unauthorized disclosure of Americans’ private information and sensitive data.

The lawsuit asserts that the Trump administration illegally provided Elon Musk and the so-called “Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)” unauthorized access to the Treasury Department’s central payment system, and therefore to Americans’ sensitive personal information, including bank account details and Social Security numbers. This expanded access could allow Musk and his team to block federal funds to states and programs providing health care, childcare, and other critical services. With this lawsuit, the coalition of attorneys general is seeking to stop the Trump administration’s illegal granting of access to DOGE, Musk, and others who should not have access to the U.S. Treasury’s payment systems or Americans’ confidential information.

“Americans are increasingly concerned with bad actors gaining unauthorized access to their most sensitive personal information, and now their own government is contributing to that concern,” said Attorney General Neronha. “In 2025, financial and identity fraud are as prevalent as ever, and just as I would advise Rhode Islanders to protect their information from swindlers, same goes here. The President must act in compliance with the law, and that means ensuring that those who have access to Americans’ social security numbers and bank account information have the appropriate security clearances required by federal law.”

Beginning February 2, 2025, the Trump administration’s Treasury Department adopted a new policy that grants “special government employees,” including Elon Musk and members of DOGE, access to its central payment system operated by the Bureau of Fiscal Services (BFS). This central payment system controls vital funding that millions of Americans depend on, including Social Security payments, veterans benefits, Medicare and Medicaid payments, and more. The payment system also controls billions of dollars that states rely on to support essential services like law enforcement, public education, and infrastructure repairs.

Access to BFS is limited by federal law to a select group of career civil servants with the appropriate security clearances. The complaint filed today in the Southern District of New York seeks to prevent Elon Musk and other unauthorized political appointees from accessing a system that could permit them to freeze federal funds with the click of a button – in violation of the Constitution and applicable law.

With this lawsuit, the coalition is seeking an injunction preventing the Trump administration from continuing its new policy of expanded access to BFS’s payment system, as well as a declaration that the granting of access to DOGE is unlawful.

Joining Attorney General Neronha in filing the lawsuit are the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Vermont, and Wisconsin.

###