Press Release: 8/14/2026
AG Campbell Joins Coalition In Suing Trump Administration Over Unlawful Demand For Personal Information Of Commercial Drivers
Administration Threatens to Withhold $10 Million in Federal Funding Unless Sensitive Information of Millions of Drivers is Turned Over
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
8/13/2026
BOSTON — Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell today joined a coalition of 22 states in filing two lawsuits against the Trump Administration over its demand that the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators (AAMVA) produce a database of state-owned records containing the sensitive personal information of 17 million drivers nationwide. The federal administration has threatened to terminate more than $10 million in federal funding to AAMVA if it refuses to comply.
The coalition filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), which is an administration of the DOT and AAMVA, as well as an additional related lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The lawsuits claim the DOT, FMCSA and DHS are violating federal privacy laws by demanding that AAMVA disclose these records containing drivers’ Social Security numbers and other personal information with no guardrails on their use of this information and without providing notice to the public. The lawsuits also allege that the demand violates the Administrative Procedure Act because the federal government has no legitimate need to demand this data, which has previously only been available to the states for purposes of administering driver licenses, and failed to consult the states before making this drastic change.
“The Commercial Driver’s License database helps states ensure they’re licensing drivers that meet essential safety criteria, including being medically fit, possessing a safe driving record, and other standards used to maintain safe roads,” said AG Campbell. “The Trump Administration does not have the authority to use this state-owned database for unnecessary purposes and put the sensitive data of Massachusetts drivers at risk. We’re asking the court to protect the privacy of drivers and prevent this data from being unlawfully shared.”
In 1986, Congress established the Commercial Driver’s License Information System (CDLIS) to provide states an efficient means of sharing information about commercial driver’s license (CDL) applicants and determining if the applicant is licensed in another state. Since 1988, DOT has contracted with AAMVA, a private nonprofit organization, to operate CDLIS for the benefit of the states.
To approve a CDL application, states validate the driver’s identity, medical fitness, immigration status and each applicant’s licensing and driving history in any state where the driver could have been licensed. This important public safety work is the responsibility of the states, not the federal government. Once a license is issued, states maintain a record in CDLIS of each driver that includes personally identifiable information such as the driver’s name, date of birth, Social Security number, driver’s license number and the name of state that provided the record.
Despite the states owning the personal data stored in CDLIS, FMCSA sent a letter to AAMVA, making the unprecedented demand that AAMVA turn over data for every driver in CDLIS going back five years. When AAMVA voiced its concerns about the new directive, FMCSA made an explicit threat to terminate all of AAMVA’s federal grants and contracts, and DHS subsequently served a subpoena upon AAMVA for the data. Because of the risk that AAMVA will comply with the federal government’s demands, AG Campbell and the coalition have sought an emergency order to prevent the data from being turned over.
AG Campbell has joined fellow state attorneys general in several legal challenges against the Trump Administration’s attempts to unlawfully use Americans’ personal data for undisclosed purposes, including immigration enforcement. Earlier this month AG Campbell filed a lawsuitagainst the Trump Administration over its unlawful policy that would give the administration broad access to the sensitive private information of millions of families receiving Temporary Assistance for Needy Families benefits. In July of 2025, AG Campbell filed a lawsuit challenging the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s demand that states turn over personal and sensitive information about millions of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program recipients.
Joining AG Campbell in filing these lawsuits are attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Vermont, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin, as well as the state of Pennsylvania.
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