AFSCME and allies sue to block Musk’s Social Security power grab

AFSCME, along with the Alliance for Retired Americans and the American Federation of Teachers, filed a lawsuit on Friday to halt DOGE’s unprecedented, unlawful seizure of personal, confidential and sensitive data from the Social Security Administration. 

The Social Security Administration maintains the financial data, employment information, medical data, and personal addresses of millions of Americans. 

The lawsuit alleges that such seizure by DOGE is prohibited by and in violation of the many protections Congress and the Executive Branch have in place to protect against such data mining and misuse. 

“The Social Security Administration holds the financial future of millions of Americans within its doors,” said AFSCME President Lee Saunders. “We won’t allow [Elon Musk] to undermine the promise that we can all retire with dignity one day; that if we ever get hurt on the job and are unable to work, we won’t go hungry. 

Musk has already begun eliminating jobs from the agency and has closed 10 local Social Security offices. The agency’s staffing levels were already at a 50-year low before Musk embarked on his efforts to slash funding.

“Social Security insurance belongs to taxpayers, not Musk — no matter how rich he is,” Saunders continued. “We must stop him from gaining unfettered access to our future.”