The DOGE Coup: 13 States Sue Elon Musk Over Federal Payment System Grab

Elon Musk might be the closest thing we’ve got to a real-life supervillain, but it turns out not everyone is willing to let him hijack the U.S. government like it’s another one of his pet projects. On Thursday, a coalition of Democratic attorneys general from 13 states announced they’re suing Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)—because apparently, running Tesla, SpaceX, and Twitter (RIP) wasn’t enough, and now he wants to play king of federal payment systems.

At stake? Access to sensitive personal data and control over the very systems that keep Social Security, Medicare, and other federal payments flowing. You know, little things that millions of Americans rely on to, well, survive.

The Lawsuit Heard ‘Round the States

The AGs, led by New York’s Letitia James, aren’t having it. “As the richest man in the world, Elon Musk is not used to being told ‘no,’ but in our country, no one is above the law,” the statement read. Translation: Just because you can build rocket ships doesn’t mean you get the nuclear codes.

The lawsuit aims to block DOGE from what they call a blatant privacy violation and a thinly veiled power grab. Because, surprise, surprise, Musk’s idea of “efficiency” looks a lot like shutting down anything he personally doesn’t like—including federal payments to agencies he deems unnecessary (read: humanitarian aid, social safety nets, and probably anything with the word “regulation” in it).

Federal Judge Puts the Brakes—Sort Of

A federal judge tossed a small wrench into Musk’s plans, ruling that while two of his allies can have “read-only” access to the Treasury Department’s payment system, Musk himself has to stay out—for now. The ruling came after federal workers’ unions filed their own lawsuit, basically yelling, “Hey, maybe don’t let the guy who posts memes about taking over governments actually take over the government?”

Wait, How Did We Get Here Again?

If you’re wondering how exactly Musk got his hands on DOGE in the first place, look no further than former President Donald Trump, who thought, “Who better to shrink the government than the guy who thinks traffic tunnels under LA are a great idea?” And shrink he did—by steamrolling taxpayer data access and allegedly orchestrating the shutdown of USAID, the government’s primary international humanitarian aid agency.

DOGE managed to worm its way into the Treasury’s payment system after David Lebryk, the acting Deputy Secretary of the Treasury, mysteriously resigned under pressure. Shocking.

The Fallout: A Nation On Edge

Democratic lawmakers are sounding the alarm, warning that Musk—an unelected billionaire with an itchy Twitter-finger (sorry, X-finger)—has way too much influence over the government. And their concerns aren’t exactly unfounded, given Musk himself has openly bragged that DOGE will cut off payments to agencies he doesn’t like.

But in classic Musk fashion, he’s laughing it off on X, claiming DOGE is just “saving taxpayers millions.” Sure, because when has giving unchecked power to a billionaire ever gone wrong?

For now, we wait. The lawsuit is brewing, the states are gearing up for battle, and Musk is probably drafting a meme about how he’s being oppressed. Grab your popcorn—this saga is just getting started.