Earlier on Saturday, a federal judge blocked Elon Musk’s government efficiency and accessed Treasury records, including sensitive personal data such as social security and bank account numbers for millions of Americans. .
US District Judge Paul A. Engelmeyer issued an interim injunction after 19 Democratic attorney generals sued President Donald Trump. The case, filed in federal court in New York City, alleges that the Trump administration has granted a mask team access to the Treasury’s central payment system in violation of federal law.
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The payment system processes tax refunds, social security benefits, veteran benefits, and more, and sends trillions of dollars each year while including a vast network of American personal and financial data.
An appointed by President Barack Obama, Engelmeyer immediately gives anyone who is prohibited from accessing confidential information after January 20th to immediately make a copy of all material downloaded from the Treasury Department’s system. He said it must be destroyed.
He set up a hearing on February 14th.
The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment regarding the lawsuit being filed previously.
Musk’s government efficiency, also known as clumsy, was created to discover and eliminate what the Trump administration saw as wasted government spending. Doge’s access to the Treasury, as well as testing by various government agencies, sparked widespread concern among critics over the increased power of Musk, but supporters were bloated by the government’s finances I support the idea that it will be suppressed.
Musk enjoys criticism of Doge on his X social media platform while telling taxpayers he’s saving millions of dollars.
New York Attorney General Letia James said the office filed a lawsuit, saying Doge’s access to Treasury data raises security issues and the possibility of an illegal freeze on federal funds.
“This unelected group led by the world’s wealthiest man is not permitted to have this information and is dependent on illegal payments, healthcare, childcare and more. This unauthorized access to illegally block payments that rely on payments for important programs, James said in a video message released by her office on Friday.
James, a Democrat, one of Trump’s main antagonists, said the president has no authority to hand out American personal information to those he chose, and he cannot cut federal payments approved by Congress. I stated.
The lawsuit also includes Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, North Carolina; It is home to Rhode Island, Vermont and Wisconsin.
The lawsuit argues Doge that access to Treasury records could hinder funds already beyond the Treasury’s statutory authority. The case also argues that DOGE Access violates the separation of federal administrative law and the doctrine of the powers of the US Constitution.
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He also accused Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent of changing the department’s long-standing policy to protect sensitive, personally identifiable and financial information to ensure that Musk’s Doge team has access to payment systems. Masu.
“The decision failed to explain its legal obligation to protect such data and ignored the privacy expectations of federal fund recipients,” including states, veterans, retirees and taxpayers. The lawsuit states.
Connecticut Attorney General Williamton said it is not clear what Doge is doing with information on the financial system.
“This is the biggest data breach in American history,” Tong said in a statement Friday. “Doge is an illegally constructed, rebel tech brothers band that examines sensitive records, sensitive data and critical payment systems. What’s wrong?”
The Treasury said the review is about assessing the integrity of the system and that no changes have been made. According to two people familiar with the process, Musk’s team has launched an investigation looking for a way to suspend payments made by the international development agencies that Trump and Musk are about to dismantle. The two spoke with the Associated Press on condition of anonymity, fearing retaliation.
Separately, Democrats are calling for a Treasury investigation into Doge’s access to government payment systems.
Trade unions and advocacy groups also sued to block reviews of payment systems over concerns about its legality. A Washington judge on Thursday temporarily restricted access to two employees with “read-only” privileges.
Associated Press Writer Dave Collins from Hartford, Connecticut contributed to the report.
