Administration is Violating Public’s Right to Know How AI is Being Used to Make Decisions that Affect Millions of Lives and Livelihoods

Washington, D.C. — Today, Democracy Forward filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Department of State for unlawfully withholding public records related to the Trump-Vance administration’s use of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) to carry out major federal policies. 

The lawsuit follows multiple unanswered Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests seeking documents that would shed light on how AI is being used to eliminate government jobs, surveil employees and visa holders, and rewrite or repeal federal regulations.

“Emerging technologies like artificial intelligence are being used to make sweeping decisions across government, including targeting workers and rewriting our laws—but the American people are being kept in the dark,” said Skye Perryman, President and CEO of Democracy Forward. “Our democracy depends on transparency, and we’re taking action to uncover how this administration is using unchecked tools to push a dangerous political agenda behind closed doors.”

Public reports suggest the Trump-Vance administration is deploying AI tools to execute controversial directives, including using AI to flag visa holders based on their social media posts, identify federal workers for termination, and propose mass regulatory repeals. Despite FOIA requests submitted as early as March 2025, HUD and the State Department have failed to comply with the law and produce any of the requested records.

The lawsuit includes requests for documents related to:

  • HUD’s use of AI to propose regulatory repeals under the Department of Government Efficiency initiative;
  • State’s deployment of AI to surveil and potentially penalize international student visa holders for engaging in protests or free expression; and
  • The use of AI across both agencies to assess federal workers for termination or political alignment.

Today’s request follows the release of records to Democracy Forward that confirm that the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is using AI to identify guidance documents to repeal because they are not sufficiently aligned with the Trump-Vance administration’s agenda. The VA has not publicly disclosed what AI tools it is using, how those tools are prompted, or whether any safeguards are in place to ensure accuracy and accountability. Records obtained also show that the VA’s chief Artificial Intelligence Officer admitted the VA currently has very few AI experts – a striking admission from an agency that is rapidly rolling out AI tools with little transparency or accountability. 

The case is Democracy Forward Foundation v. ​​Department of Housing and Urban Development et al., and the legal team on this case includes Robin Thurston, Daniel McGrath, and Amy Vickery.

Read the complaint here.

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Democracy Forward Foundation is a national legal organization that advances democracy and social progress through litigation, policy, public education, and regulatory engagement. For more information, please visit www.democracyforward.org.