BALTIMORE, Md. – Attorney General Anthony G. Brown today joined a coalition of 19 attorneys general in filing a lawsuit against the Trump administration to stop the unauthorized disclosure of Americans’ private information and sensitive data. The lawsuit asserts that the Trump administration illegally provided Elon Musk and the so-called “Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)” unauthorized access to the Treasury Department’s central payment system, and therefore to Americans’ most sensitive personal information, including bank account details and Social Security numbers. This expanded access could allow Musk and his team to block federal funds to states and programs providing health care, childcare, and other critical services. With this lawsuit, the coalition of attorneys general is seeking to stop the Trump administration’s new policy that illegally grants DOGE, Musk, and others access to Americans’ confidential information and the U.S. Treasury’s payment systems.
“The president is threatening the banking system Marylanders rely on. He has given a wealthy businessman’s associates unauthorized access to tens of millions of people’s sensitive information. This puts critical benefits at risk—Social Security payments, healthcare, and federal tax returns—simply because they don’t align with his administration’s agenda,” said Attorney General Brown. “Our Office will not allow the federal government to play politics with people’s lives and livelihoods.”
Beginning February 2, 2025, the Trump administration’s Treasury Department adopted a new policy that grants “special government employees,” including Elon Musk and members of DOGE, access to its central payment system operated by the Bureau of Fiscal Services (BFS). This central payment system controls vital funding that millions of Americans depend on, including Social Security payments, veteran’s benefits, Medicare and Medicaid payments, and more. The payment system also controls billions of dollars that states rely on to support essential services like law enforcement, public education, and infrastructure repairs.
Access to BFS is limited by federal law to a select group of career civil servants with the appropriate security clearances. Attorney General Brown and the coalition assert the Treasury Department’s new policy, which expands access to BFS’s payment system, violates the law, jeopardizes Americans’ most sensitive personal information, and would allow Elon Musk and other unauthorized political appointees to access a system that could permit them to freeze federal funds with the click of a button in violation of the Constitution.
With this lawsuit, Attorney General Brown and the coalition of attorneys general are seeking an injunction preventing the Trump administration from continuing its new policy of expanded access to BFS’s payment system, as well as a declaration that the Treasury Department’s policy change is unlawful and unconstitutional.
Joining Attorney General Brown in filing the lawsuit are the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Wisconsin.
Seriously? You don’t need to sue Trump,,,
You need to get that dumb Moore out of the Maryland governorship before he raises the deficit more than he already has.
Remember,, he had a surplus left from Hoyer.
Love your response.
Hogan left a surplus and More went shopping.
Good. I don’t recall Elon being on any ballot.
You are correct, he was not on any ballot. But then again, neither were the thousands of work from home public servants that have access to your personal information.
One should be concerned that a billionaire is going to steal and sell your data to get rich, but feel confident the DEI public servants won’t. Good luck with that.
So you prefer secrecy, waste, fraud and abuse instead of transparency and saving taxpayer money. Got it.
Too funny. The State doesn’t want to enforce federal laws itself, such as when it comes to illegal aliens, but will interfere with federal prerogatives that they don’t like. Bunch of hypocrites.
Yes, and now MD. Rep. Mfume wants people to fight in the streets. He is just upset because he is new to Congress and hasn’t got his pockets full yet.
Wow, non-bias reporting at it’s best. Since when is cutting waste out of Government a bad thing? Just because someone has a job, doesn’t mean it’s necessary… How else should the National Debt be dealt with oh geniuses?
Go GOP’s stop the waste the dem did
He is not destroying America but saving it from all the fraud waste and abuse democrats have spent our tax dollars on for decades.
The democrats have been doing this for years. They’re mad because they got caught.
So Anthony G. Brown is also illegally benefiting from my hard earned tax money. Can’t wait until sentencing.
I would rather have Elon and his people have my info than let the last administration have it and do criminal acts with it….. Elon is a billionaire he don’t want our money neither does his friends
All Elon is doing is shedding light on WHERE our tax $ has gone. Nothing more. The only thing threatened is the machine that is taking our money. Period.
Can we have Musk and DOGE perform a forensic audit on Maryland government spending including the department of education? Please Governor Moore. We want transparency that the democrats have chosen not to reveal
Attorney General Anthony G. Brown is part of the whiners trying to screw over the American citizens, who voted to have the current administration weed out all the crazy spending and graft from the ‘Deep State’ that has caused the U.S.A. to be so far in debt with no explanation.
The Marylanders who voted for this whiner and SpendMoore, should be taxed double to help pad their pockets.
“would allow Elon Musk and other unauthorized political appointees to access a system that could permit them to freeze federal funds with the click of a button in violation of the Constitution.”
This has nothing to do with Gov Moore except to appoint AG Brown to join the coalition of states suing to protect citizens’ most private information . It’s about a violation of the Constitution; you know, that piece of paper that Trump took an oath to uphold. Musk wasn’t on my ballot; was he on yours? He wasn’t and he as no business mucking around in any Federal agency.
I don’t get it. You want to stop finding how our hard earned tax dollars are being squandered? You want to stop learning who is getting paid for what with our tax dollars? The only people getting ‘harmed’ are those who will no longer be riding the gravy train on our dollars! Musk is following the orders of the President who was elected by the people!
No citizen of the US should have his/her privacy violated unless it’s legitimate through channels. Your comment about the “only people getting harmed” is specious. For example, ask a farmer about subsidies being cut due to Musk who has no idea about how needed farm subsidies are (or he doesn’t care). Musk will, also, get inside information on the amount of money going to contracts and those who benefit from federal programs of which he has been given Billions, plus he will have a list of how much his competitors receive. There are ways to cut gov’t spending but slash and burn is not one of them. Up next, keep an eye on Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. Trump should take his Presidency back.
Clean house Elon
Fire all the crooked democrats starting with hoyer and Moore
You do realize Musk has no authority to fire Hoyer and Moore, don’t you?
Maryland doesn’t live like the rest of the country. The rest of the country isn’t reacting this way.
Might want to check your “sources” for how the rest of the country is reacting.