SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Attorneys general from 14 states challenged the authority of billionaire Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency to access sensitive government data and exercise “virtually unchecked power” in a lawsuit filed Thursday.
The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Washington, D.C., says the actions taken by Musk at the helm of DOGE can only be taken by a nominated and Senate-confirmed official. It sites constitutional provisions that delineate the powers of Congress and the president.
The attorneys general said the court should bar Musk from issuing orders to anyone in the executive branch outside DOGE and declare that his actions have no legal effect.
They asked the court to order Musk to identify ways that “any data obtained through unlawful agency access was used,” destroy “such unauthorized access in his or DOGE’s possession” and bar Musk and DOGE from ordering changes in the disbursement of public funds, canceling government contracts, taking steps to dismantle agencies and more.
“We are asking the court to invalidate his directives and actions and to issue a restraining order,” Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said during an online news conference alongside attorneys general from Arizona and New Mexico.
California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington attorneys general also joined the lawsuit.
Musk’s team has roamed from agency to agency, tapping into computer systems, digging into budgets and searching for what he calls waste, fraud and abuse, while lawsuits pile up claiming President Donald Trump and DOGE are violating the law.
On Thursday, Musk called for the U.S. to “delete entire agencies” from the federal government as part of his push to radically cut spending and restructure its priorities.
Democratic attorneys general say Musk’s approach is generating profound concerns among their constituents about the secure handling of sensitive information at agencies including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the IRS.
New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez said Trump is demonstrating “weakness” in deploying Musk rather than advancing his agenda through a Republican-controlled Congress.
“Move fast and breaking things may work in Silicon Valley for a tech company,” Torrez said. “It’s not good governance and it’s unconstitutional.”
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Associated Press reporter Jacques Billeaud contributed from Phoenix.
