Attorney General Bonta Sues Trump Administration Over DOGE’s Unlawful Access to Americans’ Personal Information

DOGE access blatantly violates Americans’ right to privacy

OAKLAND — California Attorney General Rob Bonta today filed a lawsuit challenging the Trump Administration’s decision to expand access to data maintained by the Treasury Department’s Bureau of the Fiscal Service (BFS). In today’s lawsuit, 19 attorneys general argue that this executive action has allowed people associated with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to access Americans’ personal and private information, including bank account and social security numbers. The lawsuit seeks to immediately halt improper access to this sensitive information while litigation proceeds. 

“President Trump’s and the Treasury Department’s actions to allow DOGE access to Americans’ private information is chilling and unconstitutional — and Americans are paying attention,” said Attorney General Bonta. “Millions entrust the federal government to carry out vital operations that people rely on every day. In doing so, we also entrust them with our sensitive and personal information. This week’s action is a breach of that trust and a gross and blatant power grab. The President does not hold the power to give Americans’ bank account and social security numbers to anyone he’d like. I am proud to stand with attorneys general around the country to demand the immediate halt to this violation of both trust and law.”

Since Inauguration Day, DOGE has infiltrated executive agencies with the goal of eliminating federal funding, services, and personnel. Starting last week, there have been reports of billionaire Elon Musk and his DOGE associates gaining an unprecedented level of access to vital payment systems of the U.S. Treasury, which provide access to Americans’ extremely sensitive information, like social security numbers. 

The Treasury Department payment systems — managed by BFS — are responsible for trillions of dollars in U.S. government payments. Millions of Americans rely on the support of these payments for services like health care, childcare, and other essential programs, like Social Security, Medicare benefits, veteran’s benefits, salaries for federal employees, and tax refunds. The Treasury Department’s payment systems are critical, sensitive, and incredibly vital. Given their critical importance to U.S. government operations, these systems have been highly regulated and tightly guarded — but with the election of Donald Trump, are no longer safe. 

In the complaint filed today, the attorneys general allege the Trump Administration has no constitutional, statutory, or regulatory authority to widen access to the BFS payment system for political appointees or special government employees, including members of DOGE. As such, the attorneys general seek both a temporary restraining order to immediately stop this practice and a permanent injunction barring political appointees, special government employees, and any government employee from an agency outside the Treasury Department from accessing BFS systems and Americans’ private personally identifying information. 

In filing the lawsuit today, Attorney General Bonta is joined by the attorneys general of New York, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Wisconsin. 

A copy of the complaint can be found here. A copy of the request for a temporary restraining order can be found here.