Attorney General Clark Sues Trump Administration for Unlawfully Demanding Personal Information of Drivers

Attorney General Charity Clark today joined a coalition of 20 attorneys general and the governor of Pennsylvania in filing two lawsuits against the Trump Administration for demanding production of a database of state-owned records containing the sensitive personal information of 17 million commercial drivers and threatening to terminate more than $10 million in federal funding to the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators (AAMVA) if it refuses.

The coalition filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), as well as an additional lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The lawsuits claim the DOT, FMSCA and DHS are violating multiple federal privacy laws by secretly setting up their own database with records extorted from AAMVA with no guardrails on the use or sharing of drivers' Social Security numbers and other personal information, and no notice to the public. The lawsuits also allege that the demand violates the Administrative Procedure Act and other federal laws because the federal government has not identified a legitimate need to take over this database of state records, and it failed to consult the states before making this drastic change.

"Vermonters should be able to trust that their most sensitive personal information is protected and used for legitimate purposes, not handed over to the federal government without notice, legal authority, or appropriate safeguards," said Attorney General Clark. "We will not allow the Trump Administration to threaten withholding federal funds to gain access to our personal information. This unlawful demand puts millions of drivers' privacy at risk, and we are taking action to stop it."

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, the 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, and driver's license number.

Despite the states owning the personal data stored in CDLIS, the federal government 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, FMSCA made an explicit threat to terminate all of AAMVA's federal grants and contracts. Faced with that threat, which could shut down CDLIS altogether, AAMVA told the states it would comply with the federal government's demand, requiring Attorney General Clark and the coalition to seek an emergency order to prevent the data from being turned over.

Joining Attorney General Clark in filing these lawsuits are the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin, as well as the Governor of Pennsylvania.

Today's lawsuits are the 62nd and 63rd cases Attorney General Clark has brought against the Trump Administration since President Trump took office in January 2025. For more information on actions taken by the Attorney General on behalf of Vermonters, visit our website.

Contact: Haley Sommer, Senior Advisor to the Attorney General, 802-828-3171