WASHINGTON (AP) – A coalition of unions filed a lawsuit in federal court on Monday seeking to stop Elon Musk’s team from accessing it Private data Education Department, Ministry of Finance, and Personnel Management Bureau.
The lawsuit, led by the American Federation of Teachers, alleges that the Trump administration violated federal privacy laws when it gave them masks Government Efficiency Bureau Access to a system with personal information about tens of millions of Americans without consent. It was filed in federal court in Maryland.
It’s the latest The gust of legal challenges On the musk Influence of influence At the federal agency, he has promised to be novel or dismantled. Federal judge in New York Blocked the mask team From the Treasury System on Saturday after 19 Democrats attorney generals sued privacy concerns.
Also, on Monday, Doge cut around $900 million in education sector contracts after it concluded it was a waste of taxpayer money, a department spokesperson said. Kat has reached 90 contracts at the Institute of Education Science, the research division of federal agencies. The department did not immediately release any additional details.
Cutting has no effect on IES core operations. Country report cardand the university scorecards provide data on the costs and outcomes of US universities, the department said.
The AFT lawsuit warns of safety risks to personal data shared with mask teams. This includes detention information for the education sector where more than 40 million Americans have federal student loans. The database includes your Social Security number, driver’s license number, home address, and more.
“The sector is effectively one of the largest banks in America. If there is a violation of this magnitude in the private sector, it will naturally become a national scandal,” said AFT president Randi Weingarten. .
The lawsuit accused the Trump administration of handing over sensitive data for reasons beyond intended use that allegedly violates privacy laws. Instead of carrying out the functions of the federal student loan program, the lawsuit says Doge is accessing loan data “with the aim of destroying its education sector.”
President Donald Trump has I vowed to close It hands over the education department and its authority to the states and schools. Musk of his social media site X said on Friday the department “doesn’t exist” and responded to Congressional Democrats who turned their backs on security as they tried to visit the agency’s headquarters.
The lawsuit asks federal court to stop Musk’s team from accessing that data along with the financial system and accessing an OPM database with confidential information about all 2.3 million federal employees. They also seek to destroy records already disclosed.
“The introduction of steam into sensitive government records systems has led to massive data breaches that could reverse how these critical systems are maintained, and the safety of personal identification information for Americans across the country. and compromise security,” the lawsuit said.
AFT, one of the nation’s largest teachers unions, says it represents 1.8 million workers in education, healthcare and government. And six people with sensitive information stored in the federal system, including military veterans who have received federal student loans and other federal benefits when they join the lawsuit.
The lawsuit is also supported by the Association of National Activities and Retired Federal Employees and the International Association of Mechanics and Aerospace Workers.
On Friday, another lawsuit on behalf of the University of California Students Association asked a federal judge in Washington to suspend access to masks’ education departments. In that case, the plaintiff filed an emergency control order on Monday, attempting to block Doge from sensitive data.
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