A New York federal court granted an interim injunction barring Musk's department from accessing Treasury records
Nearly two dozen US state governments have filed a lawsuit demanding that the Trump administration's Department of Government Efficiency, known as "Dodge," be restricted from accessing the federal payment system. So far, 19 states have filed lawsuits alleging that Musk and his associates have no right to access the U.S. Treasury Department's digital systems.
According to Reuters, the Democratic-led US states have claimed that Musk's access to the agency under the Ministry of Finance, which pays billions of dollars, is not legal. The case has been filed in Manhattan federal court led by the New York Attorney General's office.
Attorney Leticia James has taken the lead in this . Lawsuits have also been filed in Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Wisconsin. The
ing lawsuit alleges that Musk and his group could influence federal investments in health insurance, preschools, climate initiatives, tax refunds and other programs. It is also said in the application that the details of millions of citizens in the system of American agencies can be used by the Republican President Donald Trump in his political agenda.
Giving the Department of Efficiency access to US government systems could create more cyber security risks and could result in the loss of a large investment by state governments and citizens, the petition said. It has been claimed that when Dodge is given access, there will be a danger that the personal information of millions of American citizens may be made public.
"Musk and his executive department have no right to access the private details of American citizens and some of the country's sensitive data," said New York attorney James, "I am taking this step to protect our personal information."
The federal court in New York has issued an interim order on Saturday, barring the department from gaining access to the records of the Ministry of Finance. Federal District Judge Paul A. Engelmeyer issued an interim order barring Musk from accessing the department's systems, which contain personal information such as Social Security and millions of Americans' bank accounts.
The lawsuit filed in federal court in New York City alleges that the Trump administration gave Musk's team access to the Treasury Department's central payment system in violation of federal law. Judge Engelmeyer, appointed by former President Barack Obama, who is barred from access to sensitive information, ordered the immediate destruction of all copies downloaded from the department's systems. He has scheduled an appearance for further hearing on February 14.
President Donald Trump established the Department of Efficiency to cut unnecessary government spending and restructure federal agencies. Criticism has started after it began to inspect various government agencies along with the Ministry of Finance and also to take control of the data systems of the agencies and expel employees. While critics have expressed concern about Musk's growing power, supporters have praised him for being proactive in controlling frigid government spending.
