The lawsuit noted that Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (D.O.G.E.) has access to critical data like public names, social security numbers, etc.
US Senator Ron Wyden and top Democrats like Chuck Schumer and Elizabeth Warren have questioned the legality and potential misuse of sensitive data.
While D.O.G.E.
claims to focus on government efficiency and transparency, critics argue it oversteps its bounds.
Sources familiar with the matter reported that ‘s Department of Government Efficiency (D.O.G.E.) gained access to sensitive US Treasury data. Soon after, America’s largest union group, The American Federation of Labor (AFL) and Congress of Industrial Organizations, sued the US Treasury, and newly appointed chief Scott Bessent, accusing them of breaking federal laws, while granting D.O.G.E. enforcers access to personal and sensitive financial information.
The union group a lawsuit in a Washington DC federal court on Monday, February 3. It alleged an “unlawful ongoing, systematic, and continuous disclosure of personal and financial information” of the US Treasury to Elon Musk’s D.O.G.E. Speaking on the development, the AFL CIO said:
“The scale of the intrusion into individuals’ privacy is massive and unprecedented. People who must share information with the federal government should not be forced to share information with Elon Musk or his ‘DOGE’.”
“The scale of the intrusion into individuals’ privacy is massive and unprecedented. People who must share information with the federal government should not be forced to share information with Elon Musk or his ‘DOGE’.”
Last week on February 1, a post on Bluesky by US Senator Ron Wyden, raised the complaint stating that sources informed his office that “Bessent has granted D.O.G.E. full access” to the Treasury’s payment system. This came soon a day after Wyden pressed Bessent for answers regarding Musk D.O.G.E.’s access to the system.
Moreover, as per the lawsuit, the payments system includes “Social Security numbers, names, email addresses, home addresses and telephone numbers, birth dates, birthplaces, and bank account information”, of millions of public members.
Elon Musk’s D.O.G.E. under Scrutiny
Ever since ‘s oath-taking on January 19, Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (D.O.G.E.) has been steadfast in suggesting key measures to improve governance and bring transparency to government departments. It has also proposed measures to curb inflation and reduce the US National debt over a period of time.
However, some of the top Democrats have raised questions about D.O.G.E.’s operations. On Monday, February 3, top Democrats, including Senate leader Chuck Schumer and Senator Elizabeth Warren voiced concerns about Musk and DOGE’s access to Treasury systems.
Schumer said that he would be introducing measures to “to stop unlawful meddling in the Treasury Department’s payments systems:/ In a sharp message he said:
“DOGE is not a real government agency. It has no authority to make spending decisions. It has no authority to shut programs down or ignore federal law.”
“DOGE is not a real government agency. It has no authority to make spending decisions. It has no authority to shut programs down or ignore federal law.”
Senator Elizabeth Warren said that the system is at the mercy of Elon Musk who “has the power to suck out all that information for his own use.”