Attorney General Mayes, along with a coalition of attorneys general from various states, has issued a statement concerning the U.S. Department of the Treasury's recent decision. The department granted Elon Musk and his "Department of Government Efficiency" (DOGE) staff access to sensitive payment systems containing Americans' personally identifiable information.
The statement reads: “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."
The coalition expressed concerns about Musk's influence and the legality of this access: “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.”
They further criticized DOGE's role: “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 counter these actions, Attorney General Mayes stated their intent: “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 New York, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Nevada, Rhode Island, and Vermont joined Attorney General Mayes in releasing this statement.