CHICAGO — Illinois will join over a dozen states in a lawsuit against the Trump Administration over the so-called Department of Government Efficiency’s access to the Treasury Department.
Thirteen attorneys general, including Illinois’ Kwame Raoul and New York’s Letitia James, said in a statement that they were taking action “in defense of our Constitution, our right to privacy, and the essential funding that individuals and communities nationwide are counting on.”
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The treasury is just one of the departments the temporary organization has been given access to under the supervision of Elon Musk.
“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 statement said. “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.”
READ MORE: DOJ agrees to limit DOGE’s access to Treasury Department records
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday afternoon.
Government officials and labor unions have been among those raising concerns about DOGE’s involvement with the payment system for the federal government, saying it could lead to security risks or missed payments for programs such as Social Security and Medicare.
RELATED: Republicans block Musk from congressional subpoena as DOGE continues to access government data
Also Thursday, a federal judge ordered that two Musk allies have “read only” access to Treasury Department payment systems, but no one else will get access for now, including Musk himself. The ruling came in a lawsuit filed by federal workers unions trying to stop DOGE from following through on what they call a massive privacy invasion.
It was not immediately clear when the Democratic attorneys general will file their lawsuit, but it is expected to be filed soon.
ABC7 Chicago contributed to this report
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