Neronha joins lawsuit to stop Musk’s DOGE from accessing citizens’ private information

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — Attorney General Peter Neronha said his office has joined 18 other attorney generals in a lawsuit to stop the Trump administration from gaining “unauthorized disclosure of Americans’ private information and sensitive data.”

Neronha said the Trump administration illegally provided Elon Musk and the “Department of Government Efficiency” unauthorized access to the Treasury Department’s central payment system.

The system includes sensitive data including Americans’ bank account details and Social Security numbers.

Neronha added that the access could allow Musk and the department to “ block federal funds to states and programs providing health care, childcare, and other critical services,” including Social Security payments, veterans benefits, Medicare and Medicaid payments, and funds for law enforcement, public education, and infrastructure repairs.

The lawsuit seeks an  injunction preventing the Trump administration from continuing its new policy of expanded access to the Bureau of Fiscal Services’ payment system, as well as a declaration that the granting of access to DOGE is unlawful.

The other attorney generals joining Neronha include those from Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Vermont, and Wisconsin.