Several states, including New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, announced on Thursday their intent to sue the Trump administration over the Department of Government Efficiency.
The lawsuit is in response to the Treasury Department allowing DOGE to access sensitive payment systems
Friday, February 7, 2025 12:37AM
Darla Miles reports from New York City with the latest on the Trump presidency.
NEW YORK (WABC) — Several states, including New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, announced on Thursday their intent to sue the Trump administration over the Department of Government Efficiency.
The lawsuit is in response to the Treasury Department allowing Elon Musk and DOGE to access sensitive payment systems containing Americans’ personal identifying information, state attorneys general said.
New York Attorney General Letitia James led a coalition of 13 attorneys general in making the announcement on Thursday.
“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 a 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.”
Joining Attorney General James in releasing the statement were attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, Rhode Island and Vermont.
The lawsuit has not yet been filed.
It comes after a filing late Wednesday evening, when lawyers with the Justice Department agreed to a proposed order that would largely prohibit the Treasury Department from sharing sensitive financial data with DOGE.
The agreement allows two individuals associated with Musk but employed by the Treasury Department called special government employees to have “read only” access to the sensitive data.
Once approved by U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly, who is overseeing the case, the agreement will stay in place until Feb. 24 when both sides return to court to argue about a long-term preliminary injunction.
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Several states, including New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, announced on Thursday their intent to sue the Trump administration over the Department of Government Efficiency.
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