New York Attorney General Letitia James, along with a coalition of 13 other attorneys general, issued a statement in response to the U.S. Department of the Treasury's decision to allow Elon Musk and his "Department of Government Efficiency" (DOGE) access to sensitive payment systems containing Americans' personal information.
The statement highlighted concerns over the access granted, stating: "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."
Attorney General James emphasized that no individual is above the law: "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."
The coalition described this level of access as "unlawful, unprecedented, and unacceptable," arguing that DOGE lacks authority over such information: "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."
To address these concerns and protect citizens' rights and essential funding nationwide, Attorney General James announced legal action: "In defense of our Constitution, our right to privacy, and the essential funding that individuals and communities nationwide are counting on we will be filing a lawsuit to stop this injustice."
Attorneys general from Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Maine Maryland Minnesota Nevada New Jersey Rhode Island Vermont joined James in releasing this statement.