New York and other states plan to sue Trump administration over DOGE access to federal systems

New York Attorney General Letitia James plans to file a lawsuit with 10 other state attorneys general against the Trump administration over the Department of Government Efficiency program, accusing DOGE of engaging in unauthorized access to sensitive information that includes Americans’ data on federal computer systems at the Treasury Department. 

Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Nevada, Rhode Island and Vermont are expected to join the suit, as DOGE continues its sweep through the federal government, demanding access and information, some of it sensitive. 

“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. 

“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. “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.”

However, the Treasury Department has said 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.

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 Service, which disburses trillions in payments each year, including Social Security checks and federal salaries, according to the Associated Press. 

contributed to this report.