Attorney General Tong Statement Regarding Temporary Restraining Order Blocking DOGE Access to Confidential Records, Sensitive Data and Critical Payment Systems

Hartford, CT – Attorney General William Tong issued the following statement regarding the temporary restraining order granted early this morning blocking “political appointees, special government employees, and any government employee detailed from an agency outside the Treasury Department access to Treasury Department payment systems or any other

data maintained by the Treasury Department containing personally identifiable information.” The order was granted in response to the lawsuit filed late Friday by Attorney General Tong and a coalition of 19 attorneys general alleging that the Trump Administration illegally provided Elon Musk and the so-called “Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)” unauthorized access to the Treasury Department’s central payment system, and therefore to Americans’ most sensitive personal information, including bank account details and Social Security numbers.

“This strong and swift action from the court reflects the severity of our claims and the strength of our case. DOGE and its unlawfully constituted band of renegade tech bros were perpetrating the largest data breach in American history. We sued to protect the functioning of our government and the security of every single American’s private data,” said Attorney General Tong.

The temporary restraining order blocks defendants from granting access to any Treasury payment recording, payment systems, or any other data maintained by Treasury containing personally identifiable information and/or confidential financial information of payees other than to civil servants with a need for access to perform their job duties within the Bureau of Fiscal Services who have passed all background checks and security clearances and taken all information security training called for in federal statues and Treasury regulations. Those prohibited individuals who have already had access to such information since January 20, 2025 must immediately destroy any and all copies of materials downloaded from Treasury records and systems.

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