States Fight Driver Data Seizure
22 States Sue Trump Administration Over Demand for Commercial Driver Data, Citing Privacy Concerns
Key Points
The federal push targets data held by AAMVA, a nonprofit that runs the CDL Information System (CDLIS) for states, and includes a threat to withhold more than $10 million in federal funding from AAMVA if it does not comply.
Oregon AG Dan Rayfield framed the case around trust and privacy, saying: 'This is about whether millions of working Oregonians and Americans can trust that their most sensitive information won’t be misused,' and noting that CDL holders expect states to protect their Social Security numbers and personal data.
Massachusetts AG Andrea Joy Campbell highlighted that the CDL database helps states ensure drivers meet safety criteria (medically fit, safe driving record, etc.) and argued the Trump Administration does not have the authority to seize state-owned data.
Delaware AG Kathy Jennings emphasized privacy protections, stating, 'The president is jeopardizing millions of working class Americans’ privacy in service of an unrelated immigration agenda,' and framed the action as defending licensing privacy and state authority.
The coalition spans 22 states plus Pennsylvania, and the lawsuits comprise two filings: one against the DOT, FMCSA, and AAMVA, and a related one against DHS, illustrating broad bipartisan concern over federal overreach into state licensing data.
A coalition of 22 states and Pennsylvania has filed two federal lawsuits to block the Trump administration from seizing a database containing personal information on roughly 17 million commercial truck drivers, according to New Jersey Monitor. The federal government demanded the data — including Social Security numbers — from a nonprofit called AAMVA, which runs the system states use to track commercial driver's licenses. It threatened to cut more than $10 million in federal funding if AAMVA refused.
The lawsuits target the Department of Transportation, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, and the Department of Homeland Security, Maryland Attorney General reported. States say the federal push violates privacy laws, skips required public notice, and illegally grabs data that belongs to states — not Washington.
What AAMVA Is and Why States Are Alarmed
AAMVA stands for the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators. It is a nonprofit that operates CDLIS — the Commercial Driver's License Information System. States built and use this system to share driver records with each other. It stores Social Security numbers, medical fitness data, driving history, and immigration status, Hudson Reporter noted.
States have always controlled this data. They use it to make sure CDL holders are medically fit, have clean driving records, and meet legal requirements. Massachusetts AG Andrea Joy Campbell said the Trump administration simply 'does not have the authority to seize state-owned data.' The states say no federal law gives Washington the right to take it.
States Call the Data Grab Illegal and Dangerous
Oregon AG Dan Rayfield said the case comes down to trust. 'This is about whether millions of working Oregonians and Americans can trust that their most sensitive information won't be misused,' he said. He stressed that CDL holders shared their Social Security numbers with states — not the federal government — and expect that data to stay protected.
Delaware AG Kathy Jennings was blunter. 'The president is jeopardizing millions of working class Americans' privacy in service of an unrelated immigration agenda,' she said, according to New Jersey Monitor. The lawsuits argue the administration acted without public notice, skipped the normal state consultation process, and put no guardrails on how the data would be used.
Two Lawsuits, Two Targets, One Funding Threat
The coalition filed two separate cases. One targets the DOT and FMCSA alongside AAMVA. The other targets DHS. Both suits ask courts to block the data transfer. They also ask courts to stop the administration from cutting the $10 million in federal funding it threatened to pull if AAMVA does not hand over the records, Times Union reported.
The states argue both actions violate the Administrative Procedure Act, a federal law that sets rules for how agencies can act. Cutting funding to force compliance with an unlawful demand, they say, is coercion — not policy. New York joined the suit along with Oregon, Massachusetts, Delaware, New Jersey, Maryland, and more than a dozen other states.
Broad Bipartisan Pushback on Federal Overreach
The legal challenge spans attorneys general from across the political spectrum, though most are Democrats. Twenty-two states plus Pennsylvania joined the effort — one of the larger state coalitions to challenge a Trump administration action this year, according to Maryland Attorney General. The breadth signals wide concern about federal agencies quietly building data systems without oversight.
Maryland AG Anthony Brown called the demand 'unlawful,' saying federal agencies are 'secretly assembling' driver data with no public process and no privacy guardrails. The core legal question the courts will now face: can Washington force states to hand over data they built, own, and have always controlled — or does that power stop at the state line?
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