The Treasury Department was sued by a coalition of groups over the “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE) officials receiving access to the federal payment system for the federal government.
The suit was filed by the Public Citizen Litigation Group, State Democracy Defenders Fund, the Alliance for Retired Americans, the American Federation of Government Employees and the Service Employees International Union.
The groups allege the department shared confidential data with DOGE, which is run by tech billionaire Elon Musk.
“The Department of Treasury maintains the sensitive personal and financial information of millions of Americans, and federal laws protect such data from improper disclosure and misuse, including by barring disclosure to individuals who lack a lawful and legitimate need for it,” the group said in a release.
Musk allies working with DOGE reportedly were given access to the department’s federal payment system over the weekend. Democratic lawmakers and groups alike protested the move.
The Treasury Department controls $6 trillion annually and distributes the funds for various programs like Social Security and Medicare, salaries for federal workers, payments to government contractors and grant recipients, and tax refunds.
A top nonpolitical career official at the department, David Lebryk, retired last week after clashing with Musk’s allies about receiving access to the systems.
DOGE officials have defended their actions by saying they were going to be sorting through government spending to make sure it algins with President Trump’s agenda, but Democrats are sounding the alarm and say confidential information like tax records could have been compromised.
“We are outraged and alarmed that the Trump Administration has allowed so-called DOGE staff to violate the law and access millions of older Americans’ sensitive personal and financial data,” Richard Fiesta, executive director of the Alliance for Retired Americans, said in a release. “We urge the court to quickly act to stop this unlawful theft of our data.”
The Hill has reached out to the Treasury Department for comment.
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