American Oversight Sues Trump Administration Over Withheld Records on DOGE Social Security Takeover 

On Tuesday, nonpartisan watchdog American Oversight filed suit against the Department of the Treasury and the Social Security Administration (SSA) for failing to release records related to the Trump administration’s efforts to undermine the Social Security system and compromise the privacy of millions of Americans.  

Today’s lawsuit follows the U.S. Supreme Court’s June 6 order temporarily lifting a lower-court injunction that had blocked the Department of Government Efficiency’s (DOGE) access to sensitive Social Security systems. The high court’s ruling paved the way for DOGE to access vast amounts of personal data on millions of Americans — fueling concerns about government transparency, data privacy, and the potential weaponization of sensitive information for political purposes.

“DOGE operatives — about whom the public knows startlingly little — have been handed sweeping access to Americans’ most sensitive personal data at the Social Security Administration, with virtually no oversight or regard for the consequences it could have for millions of seniors,” said Chioma Chukwu, Executive Director of American Oversight. “The Trump administration’s refusal to follow basic transparency laws only deepens concerns that our Social Security is in serious jeopardy. The public has a right to know who’s pulling the strings behind these reckless decisions, since the administration won’t release the truth voluntarily, we’re asking the court to force it to.”

According to American Oversight’s filing, DOGE teams bypassed standard security protocols to access SSA and Treasury systems — sometimes even before clearing background checks. One former Musk associate unlawfully shared protected Treasury payment data, while another DOGE appointee reportedly violated on-site access requirements by remotely entering Social Security’s data warehouse. 

The lawsuit seeks the immediate release of all documents related to DOGE’s involvement at SSA and the Treasury, including records about data access, staffing, communications with the White House, and contracts affected by DOGE interference.
In April, when American Oversight launched an investigation into the Trump administration’s efforts to undermine and dismantle the SSA, former Social Security Administration Commissioner Martin O’Malley, said: “Elon Musk and Donald Trump are gutting Social Security with a chainsaw and represent a serious threat to a critical safety net that Americans have counted on for generations. These proposed changes would not only increase costs to taxpayers long-term but would also drain the agency of skilled and experienced personnel.”