House Democrats have raised serious concerns about the Department of Government Efficiency, alleging it is building a cross-agency master database that could compromise privacy and national security.
What Happened: On Friday, Rep. Gerald Connolly (D-VA) sent a letter to the Social Security Administration’s Inspector General requesting an investigation into DOGE, claiming it is collecting and consolidating massive amounts of sensitive personal data, reported The Verge.
Connolly pointed to accounts from SSA whistleblowers who reported seeing DOGE engineers enter the agency’s IT systems carrying backpacks loaded with laptops, each reportedly connected to different federal databases.
Their goal, according to the testimony, was to merge these systems into a single unified database.
“I have long championed efforts to improve data sharing across the government to combat improper payments and to increase government efficiency,” he wrote, adding, “But any efforts to reform our current systems must be undertaken with the utmost sensitivity and concern for privacy, security, and the Social Security payments that millions of people rely on.”
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Why It’s Important: Earlier this month, Daniel Berulis, an IT employee at the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), stated in an affidavit that the DOGE Service team was granted broad access to the agency’s internal systems.
The whistleblower noted that starting in March, he observed suspicious activity, including altered logging protocols and the extraction of around 10 gigabytes of sensitive material.
The data appeared to contain confidential affidavits, union-related records, and proprietary business information.
The allegations against DOGE come amid broader scrutiny of the agency.
Previously, it was reported that despite efforts to cut costs, federal spending has increased by $154 billion since Donald Trump returned to office. This rise in spending contrasts with DOGE’s claims of $150 billion in savings through various cutbacks.
The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) is also set to investigate changes at the SEC under Musk’s leadership, focusing on staff reductions and work consolidation.
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