Treasury, Scott Bessent Sued Over Giving Access to Elon Musk’s ‘DOGE’ Team

Bloomberg

President Donald Trump has put Musk in charge of an effort to modernize federal information technology.
Read More: Musk Says DOGE Halting Treasury Payments to US Contractors According to the lawsuit, Treasury is involved in an “unlawful ongoing, systematic, and continuous disclosure of personal and financial information” to Musk’s team.
Neither a press representative for Treasury nor a DOGE representative immediately responded to emailed requests for comment.
The lawsuit cited reports that Bessent granted the DOGE team access to the federal payment system last week after a senior career official at the department resigned.
The case is Alliance for Retired Americans v. Bessent, 25-cv-00313, US District Court, District of Columbia (Washington).

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By granting Elon Musk’s team of government efficiency enforcers access to a wealth of financial and personal data, the Treasury Department was charged with violating federal law, paving the way for a legal battle over the Trump administration’s signature effort to reduce government.

In a lawsuit filed on Monday, union organizations that are affiliated with the AFL-CIO and the Alliance for Retired Americans claimed that Treasury and the agency’s head, Scott Bessent, had unlawfully permitted the sharing of member records with Musk’s DOGE organization. Musk has been appointed head of the federal information technology modernization initiative by President Donald Trump.

Although Musk, the richest person in the world, is unable to halt payments without authorization, Trump has clarified that he was granted access to Treasury systems in order to keep an eye on federal spending.

See also Musk’s claim that DOGE is stopping Treasury payments to US contractors.

The lawsuit claims that Treasury is providing Musk’s team with “unlawful ongoing, systematic, and continuous disclosure of personal and financial information.”. According to the groups, “the extent of the invasion of people’s privacy is enormous and unprecedented.”.

Email requests for comment were not immediately answered by a Treasury press representative or a DOGE representative. Public Citizen Litigation Group and State Democracy Defenders Fund attorneys represent the Alliance for Retired Americans, the American Federation of Government Employees, and the Service Employees International Union.

A senior career official at the DOGE department resigned last week, and Bessent gave the DOGE team access to the federal payment system, according to reports cited in the lawsuit. The lawsuit claims that sensitive data about taxpayers, workers, and businesses is included in the systems.

Attempts by Musk to gather information have been met with opposition from government officials. After attempting to prevent DOGE employees from accessing classified material, US Agency for International Development employees were placed on administrative leave. Anyone who obstructs or threatens DOGE faces legal action from the recently appointed interim US attorney for the District of Columbia.

An SGE, or special government employee, is what Musk is, according to a Monday White House confirmation. An SGE is a federal government officer or employee who usually holds their position for a short time.

“Elon Musk has complied with all relevant federal laws and is devotedly serving President Trump’s Administration as a special government employee,” White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said in a statement.

Alliance for Retired Americans v. is the case. Bessent, District of Columbia (Washington), US District Court, 25-cv-00313.

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