Attorneys general from 14 states, including New York’s Letitia James, are leading the charge.

“In the past week, the U.S. Department of the Treasury has given Elon Musk access to Americans’ personal private information, state bank account data, and other information that is some of our country’s most sensitive data,” they said.

“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 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,” they added.

DOGE officials have had inside access to government agencies, and Democrats have been concerned about data leaks.

“This level of access for unauthorized individuals is unlawful, unprecedented, and unacceptable. DOGE has no authority to access this information, which they explicitly sought in order to block critical payments that millions of Americans rely on — payments that support health care, childcare, and other essential programs,” they continued.

“In defense of our Constitution, our right to privacy, and the essential funding that individuals and communities nationwide are counting on, we will be filing a lawsuit to stop this injustice,” the attorneys general said.

A White House spokesman told the New York Times that DOGE’s mission is “widely supported.”

“Slashing waste, fraud and abuse and becoming better stewards of the American taxpayer’s hard-earned dollars might be a crime to Democrats, but it’s not a crime in a court of law,” he said.

The attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, Rhode Island, and Vermont are joining New York in the effort.

James said earlier on Thursday that she was considering using legal action against DOGE: “I want all of you to know that we are considering, and in the process of filing, an action to stop Elon Musk and DOGE and all of his minions from gaining access to our private data.”

“I think right now we’re in the midst of a constitutional crisis,” James said. “You have the president and all of these agencies issuing executive orders. You have a multibillionaire who has access to our private data — the finances of all individuals’ personal Social Security numbers. This individual is unelected. This individual has not passed scrutiny.”

DOGE’s recent efforts to stop funding flowing to the U.S. Agency for International Development have sparked particular backlash. The agency has since been largely shut down.

“USAID has been fighting disease, feeding children, and promoting goodwill around the world for six decades,” former President Barack Obama posted on X, citing a recent article. “As this article makes clear, dismantling this agency would be a profound foreign policy mistake — one that Congress should resist.”