19 states sue Trump, Treasury to halt DOGE access

New York leads the suit in Manhattan federal court alleging highly sensitive data is at risk.

By Josh Gerstein and Emily Ngo

NEW YORK — Democratic state attorneys general continued their legal resistance to President Donald Trump’s early policies Friday, filing a new lawsuit accusing Trump and the Treasury Department of violating federal law by granting Elon Musk’s aides access to a sensitive federal payments database.

Coalitions of states have also challenged the president’s orders to end birthright citizenship and freeze federal funding — both now halted by courts.

The newest suit, filed in federal court in Manhattan, argues that granting access to the staffers from Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency puts at risk billions of dollars in grants, health insurance payments and tax refunds that the states or their residents receive each year. The states also allege that DOGE’s access increases the possibilities that confidential information about recipients of the payments could be exposed publicly.

“Musk and DOGE have no authority to access Americans’ private information and some of our country’s most sensitive data,” said New York Attorney General Letitia James, who is leading the complaint. “I am taking action to keep our information secure.”

The lawsuit seeks to bar “political appointees, special government employees, and any government employee detailed from an agency outside the Treasury Department” from accessing payment data and that any such individuals who’ve been granted that access be required to return the information.

It’s unclear how many DOGE members currently have access to the payment data at the moment.

Here Are All The Major Lawsuits Against Trump And Musk—As Judge Cuts Off DOGE’s Treasury Access

Alison Durkee Forbes Staff

A New York judge has temporarily barred Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency from accessing a sensitive Treasury payment system, after over a dozen Democratic states sued late Friday—the latest in a slew of legal actions as Democrats and others fight President Donald Trump and cost-cutting czar Musk in court.

Judge Paul Engelmayer ruled political appointees and “special government employees”—like members of Musk’s team—must be cut of from access from the Treasury’s systems until another New York-based judge can rule on the issue next week.

Engelmeyer’s ruling came after a group of 19 Democratic state attorneys general sued Trump over DOGE’s Treasury access, arguing the move put personal information at risk, exceeded Treasury’s legal authority and could lead to DOGE unconstitutionally blocking spending that’s already been approved by Congress (a court order in a separate lawsuit said only two DOGE staffers can have read-only access).

Donald J. Trump 1st Term Administration Scandals, Corruption and Lawsuits

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