AFL-CIO Sues US Treasury for Allegedly Providing Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) Access to Sensitive Financial and Personal Data

The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) filed the case in a Washington, D.C., federal court on Feb. 3 against the Treasury Department and Secretary Scott Bessent.

The U.S. Treasury Department is facing a lawsuit for allegedly providing Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) with access to sensitive financial and personal data. The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) filed the case in a Washington, D.C., federal court on Feb. 3 against the Treasury Department and Secretary Scott Bessent.

The lawsuit claims an “unlawful ongoing, systematic, and continuous disclosure” of private data to Musk’s DOGE team. The AFL-CIO described the situation as a major breach of personal and financial information, stating that people sharing data with the government should not be forced to share it with Elon Musk or DOGE.

The lawsuit follows concerns from Senator Ron Wyden, who cited sources claiming Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent had granted DOGE full access to the Treasury Department’s payments system. Wyden posted on Bluesky on Feb. 1, saying his office received reports that DOGE had unrestricted entry to sensitive financial information.

According to the lawsuit, the payments system contains names, Social Security numbers, birth dates, birthplaces, home addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, and bank account details of millions of Americans. In addition, Wyden had already demanded explanations from Bessent before the lawsuit was filed.

Senator Wyden wrote in a new letter:

“To put it bluntly, these payment systems simply cannot fail, and any politically-motivated meddling in them risks severe damage to our country and the economy. I am deeply concerned that following the federal grant and loan freeze earlier this week, these officials associated with Musk may have intended to access these payment systems to illegally withhold payments to any number of programs. I can think of no good reason why political operators who have demonstrated a blatant disregard for the law would need access to these sensitive, mission-critical systems … The federal government is in a financially precarious position, currently utilizing accounting maneuvers to continue paying its bills since it reached the debt limit at the beginning of the year. I am concerned that mismanagement of these payment systems could threaten the full faith and credit of the United States.”

Schumer and Warren Condemn Treasury Access

Prominent Democratic leaders, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senator Elizabeth Warren, raised concerns over DOGE’s role in handling Treasury operations. They held a press conference on Feb. 3, urging immediate action to restrict unauthorized access to federal financial data.

“DOGE is not a real government agency,”

said Schumer.

“It has no authority to make spending decisions. It has no authority to shut programs down or ignore federal law.”

Warren added,

“The system is now at the mercy of Elon Musk. He has the power to extract all that information.”

DOGE’s Role in Trump’s Federal Spending Cuts

The lawsuit highlights Donald Trump’s plan to reduce federal spending, which led to Musk’s appointment to oversee government efficiency. DOGE, created under Trump’s administration, has been involved in reviewing financial systems, but its exact role remains unclear.

Notably, the Treasury Department and the U.S. DOGE Service (USDS) have not issued any official statements regarding the lawsuit or Musk’s access to Treasury financial data.