Attorney General William Tong joined a coalition of 23 states and the District of Columbia in suing the Trump administration over policy changes by the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) that would allow broad sharing of TANF recipients' sensitive personal data across federal agencies and potentially private organizations. The lawsuit alleges violations of the Administrative Procedure Act and the Spending Clause, seeking to block the policy.
The lawsuit seeks a court order declaring ACF's policy illegal and preventing it from being implemented.
In-house legal teams should review any contracts with government agencies, particularly those involving the handling of sensitive personal data of benefit recipients. They should examine data sharing clauses to ensure they include strict limitations on secondary use, require consent or legal basis for sharing, and incorporate data minimization principles. Additionally, contracts should include provisions for compliance with federal laws like the Administrative Procedure Act and any applicable privacy regulations, and should address notification requirements if data is shared with other agencies or third parties. Teams should also review subcontractor agreements to ensure downstream data sharing is similarly restricted.
Entity
Administration for Children and Families
Industry
OtherOfficial Press Release
https://portal.ct.gov/ag/press-releases/2026-press-releases/attorney-general-tong-sues-to-protect-personal-information-of-connecticut-residents
new york v acf complaint filed.pdf?rev=95733480673e48ba8e4d2
https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/ag/press_releases/2026/new-york-v-acf---complaint---filed.pdf?rev=95733480673e48ba8e4d24dd0ba9aa5f&hash=6BCEC67CF1B68239187FE66A762B075B
Connecticut Attorney General Enforcement Page
https://portal.ct.gov/AG/Privacy/Privacy-Resources
"the Administration for Children and Families (ACF)"
"violates the Administrative Procedure Act and the Spending Clause of the U.S. Constitution"
"illegally shared across the federal government"
"would give the administration broad access to the sensitive private information of millions of families"
Attorney General Jennifer Davenport joined a coalition of 23 states and DC in suing the Trump Administration over policy changes by the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) that would allow broad sharing of TANF recipients' sensitive personal data with other federal agencies, including ICE. The lawsuit argues the policy violates the Administrative Procedure Act and the Spending Clause, and seeks to block its implementation.
Connecticut Attorney General William Tong joined a coalition of states and local governments in filing suit against NHTSA over its rule weakening fuel economy standards for new passenger cars and light trucks. The lawsuit alleges the rule violates the agency’s statutory mandate and the Administrative Procedure Act; no penalty or final remedy is reported.
Connecticut Attorney General William Tong joined a multistate coalition suing the EPA over its repeal of greenhouse gas pollution limits for power plants and separately filed a notice of intent to sue over regulation of existing gas plants. The coalition asks the court to overturn the repeal and restore the protections; the release reports no monetary penalty or final order.
$400.0M
Connecticut Attorney General William Tong announced a $400 million settlement with Sandoz Inc. and Fougera Pharmaceuticals Inc. resolving allegations that the generic drug manufacturers conspired to inflate prices, limit competition, and restrain trade. The settlement includes consumer restitution and injunctive reforms; court approval was being sought.
Connecticut Attorney General William Tong joined a coalition of 21 attorneys general in submitting a comment letter opposing a DHS rule that allows certain affirmative asylum applications to be referred to removal proceedings without an asylum officer interview. The coalition argues the rule violates federal law and harms asylum seekers, including unaccompanied children; this was a policy opposition letter, not a privacy enforcement action.
Connecticut and Massachusetts co-led a coalition protest urging FERC to reject the proposed NextEra Energy-Dominion Energy merger. The coalition argued that the merger could increase market power and threaten energy affordability, reliability, and competition; the release does not report a final enforcement decision or penalty.