California Attorney General Rob Bonta, along with 14 other attorneys general, has issued a statement concerning the U.S. Department of the Treasury's decision to grant Elon Musk and his "Department of Government Efficiency" (DOGE) access to sensitive payment systems containing Americans' personally identifiable information.
The statement expressed concern over the Treasury's actions: “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 highlighted that such access is problematic due to Musk's status: “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 group criticized DOGE's involvement as unlawful: “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, Attorney General Bonta and his colleagues plan 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 New York, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Nevada, Rhode Island, and Vermont joined Bonta in releasing this statement.