Treasury sued over DOGE access to sensitive data
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Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen and Democratic Rep. Gerry Connolly, joined by fellow lawmakers and employees and supporters of U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) outside USAID headquarters on Monday. Photo: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
Three federal employees' unions are suing the Trump administration in an attempt to stop the Treasury from sharing confidential data with the Elon Musk-run Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Why it matters: The lawsuit that was filed in D.C. federal court Monday alleges Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent allowed DOGE representatives access to the Bureau of the Fiscal Service, which manages the U.S. government's accounting, central payment systems and public debt.
- It follows reports about DOGE representatives allegedly accessing American citizens' data and classified spaces at the U.S. Agency for International Development's (USAID) D.C. headquarters.
For the record: Representatives for the Trump administration declined to comment on the matter due to pending litigation.
Driving the news: The unions allege in a statement that instead of protecting the private information of Americans as required by law, "Bessent took punitive measures against officials who sought to protect that information from improper access and allowed DOGE full access to the data."
- Bessent, the Treasury Department and the Bureau of the Fiscal Service are named in the suit, filed by the Alliance for Retired Americans, the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) and the Service Employees International Union (SEIU).
Zoom in: The complaint says Musk and other DOGE members had sought access to the bureau's records for some time, but were "rebuffed" by the employee then in charge of the bureau.
- "Within a week of being sworn in as Treasury Secretary, Mr. Bessent placed that civil servant on leave and granted DOGE-affiliated individuals full access to the Bureau's data and the computer systems that house them," it continues.
- "He did so without making any public announcement, providing any legal justification or explanation for his decision, or undertaking the process required by law for altering the agency's disclosure policies," the complaint adds.
- "The scale of the intrusion into individuals' privacy is massive and unprecedented."
State of play: Congressional Democrats are pushing back against DOGE, which was set up to cut government spending and streamline bureaucracy.
- Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer described it as "an unelected shadow government is conducting a hostile takeover of the federal government."
- House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) said Democrats will introduce a bill designed to stop DOGE from accessing the Treasury Department's payment systems.
- And Democrats say they'd intervene to stop DOGE after Musk said President Trump had agreed to shut USAID down.
What he's saying: Trump had yet to directly address those comments, but did say Monday: "Elon can't do and won't do anything without our approval. And we'll give him the approval where appropriate; where it's not appropriate, we won't."
Go deeper: Trump brushes back Musk as Democrats plot DOGE resistance
Editor's note: This article has been updated with new details throughout.
