Press Release
February 11, 2025
WASHINGTON – Today, a coalition of government employee unions, as well as current and former individual government employees, sued the United States Office of Personal Management (OPM), Acting Director of OPM Charles Ezell, and the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) – run by Elon Musk – to stop Musk’s group from illegally accessing the personal information of tens of millions of Americans. The coalition is represented by State Democracy Defenders Fund (SDDF), American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), AFL-CIO and Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF).
The complaint alleges both Musk and DOGE accessed the highly sensitive personal information of current and former government employees, government contractors, applicants for federal employment, and many others. Their unauthorized access to this data violates laws restricting access to designated individuals authorized to use it for necessary professional reasons.
Just last week, a federal judge temporarily blocked DOGE from accessing a critical Treasury payment system under a similar lawsuit.
“Laws limiting access to Americans’ personal information exist to ensure it can’t be hacked by bad actors or foreign governments, or otherwise fall into the wrong hands,” said Norm Eisen, executive chair of State Democracy Defenders Fund. “The two million Americans who dedicate their careers to public service deserve a government that protects their privacy. DOGE is violating those laws and putting the safety and privacy of critical government employees at risk – and this illegal behavior must end.”
“The Office of Personnel Management maintains highly sensitive, personal information on anyone who has ever worked for or sought employment with the federal government,” said Everett Kelley, national president of the American Federation of Government Employees. “Elon Musk and his unqualified flunkies have no business accessing this personal data, and we are calling on the courts to put a stop to this illegal and dangerous activity.”
Link to the ruling HERE.
State Democracy Defenders Fund brings together a nonpartisan team to work with national, state and local allies across the country to defend in real-time the foundations of our democracy.
The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) is the largest federal employee union, representing more than 800,000 workers in the federal government and the government of the District of Columbia.