WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Representative Yassamin Ansari (AZ-03), Rep. Gerald E. Connolly, Ranking Member of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and Rep. Shontel Brown, led all Oversight Committee Democrats in sending a letter to Deputy Inspectors General Sciurba, Vint, Erickson, Shoemaker, and Rocque and Inspector General Martin, expressing urgent concerns regarding recent reports that unauthorized individuals associated with Elon Musk or the “DOGE” effort have gained access to protected government networks and sensitive data across government agencies, including at the Department of the Treasury, the General Services Administration (GSA), the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
Today, the Washington Post reports that DOGE agents were attempting to access sensitive personnel data.
Additionally, today Ansari signed onto the Taxpayer Data Protection Act, new legislation that would prohibit individuals without cause – like Elon Musk and DOGE employees – to use, exercise administrative control over, or otherwise access any Department of the Treasury public money receipt or payment system. The legislation will curb corruption and protect privacy by ensuring that only trusted public servants without conflicts of interest and with appropriate security clearances can access the Treasury Department’s most sensitive systems.
“Donald Trump and Elon Musk now have access to Arizonans’ most private information – their tax returns, their child support payments, everything from your Social Security benefits to your Medicare and Medicaid payments,” said Ansari, who earlier this week joined a press conference outside the Treasury Department. “In the House Oversight Committee, and across our Caucus, Democrats are holding this unelected billionaire accountable and demanding answers on Americans’ privacy and data. Today, I’m relieved to see a federal judge heed our warning and block Musk and DOGE employees’ access to Treasury. Tomorrow, the fight continues–and our Taxpayer Protection Act will lead the way.”
Text of the newly-introduced legislation is HERE. Full text of Ansari’s Oversight letter is available HERE and below.
Dear Deputy Inspectors General Sciurba, Vint, Erickson, Shoemaker, and Rocque and Inspector General Martin:
We are writing to express urgent concerns regarding recent reports that unauthorized individuals have gained access to protected government networks and sensitive, potentially classified data, including at the Department of the Treasury, the General Services Administration (GSA), the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). It appears that similar initiatives are soon to be under way at the Small Business Administration (SBA), and the Department of Education (ED). These reports raise serious questions about the security protocols in place to safeguard sensitive government information and the potential for unauthorized access and misuse by private citizens without requisite clearance or any legitimate reason to access this information. Given the scope of these concerns, we strongly encourage you to coordinate across the inspector general community toaddress these potential threats to national security.
President Trump’s Executive Order renaming the U.S. Digital Service as the U.S. DOGE Service lays out specific parameters within which the “DOGE teams” are to operate. There has been no public transition of the U.S. Digital Service to the new mission, nor has there been a public communication about the appointment of an Administrator of the U.S. DOGE Service. Although Elon Musk appears to have been granted the status of “Special Government Employee”, there is no evidence that he, or any of his associates working under the “DOGE team” moniker are entitled to access our government systems, nor is there any evidence that they have undergone the proper vetting to ensure the security of taxpayer and government data.
Mr. Musk and his team appear to have inserted themselves into the most sensitive data in the federal government. For example, recent reporting details how a civil servant at the Department of Treasury who has served presidents of both political parties throughout his 35-year career, voiced concerns about granting Mr. Musk and his team access to the government’s payments systems. This dedicated civil servant was reportedly placed on administrative leave due to his opposition and subsequently announced his retirement. Mr. Musk and his team now have access to the payment system which serves our government’s checkbook and is responsible for distributing trillions of dollars, including: federal employee salaries; Social Security payments; Medicare benefits; tax refunds; funding for federal grants; and payments to government contractors. This system holds some of the most sensitive personal data for millions of Americans and it now appears that people outside of the government that lack a legitimate rationale to have access have been granted access.
There is substantial reporting that unauthorized individuals have accessed systems and classified data at other agencies, including USAID and OPM. Mr. Musk and his team reportedly had a confrontation with security officials at USAID. The security officials believed they were “legally obligated to deny access” to unauthorized officials associated with Mr. Musk as part of their duty to protect classified information. The Musk team’s intrusion at OPM also raises serious questions about the security of the personal information of hundreds of thousands of government employees. Current officials at OPM reportedly, “have no visibility into what [potentially unauthorized individuals] are doing with the computer and data systems.” OPM officials added, “there is no oversight. It creates real cybersecurity and hacking implications.” Networks at GSA, SBA, and ED appear to be targets for Musk and his team as well.
We are deeply concerned that unauthorized system access could be occurring across the federal government and could pose a major threat to the personal privacy of all Americans and to the national security of our nation.
Offices of Inspectors General are more important than ever. Congress and the American people rely on you to remain dogged and steadfast in your pursuit of truth without regard to political affiliation. As such, we urge you to fulfill your duties as non-partisan watchdogs, appropriately issue management alerts as relevant, and assess the potential security breaches across the federal government due to Mr. Musk and his teams’ actions. We further ask that you assess whether agencies followed appropriate protocol for conducting privacy impact assessments and provide answers to the following questions:
1. To what specific government networks have Elon Musk or any other individuals associated with him gained access, and what is the nature of the information contained within those networks?
2. What is the stated justification for granting these individuals such access, and what legal authority permits this access?
3. What security protocols were followed in granting this access to ensure that Americans will not have their personal data compromised and that national security remains protected, and what measures are in place to monitor these individuals’ activities within these networks?
4. What is the duration of these individuals’ access, and what is the process for revoking or terminating their access?
5. What is the potential risk to national security and the privacy of American citizens as a result of their access?
The American people deserve transparency and accountability when it comes to the security of their government's networks and the protection of sensitive information.
The Committee on Oversight and Government Reform is the principal oversight committee of the House of Representatives and has broad authority to investigate “any matter” at “any time” under House Rule X. If you have any questions regarding this request, please contact Committee Democratic staff at (202) 225-5051.
Follow @RepYassAnsari on all social media platforms and visit Ansari.House.gov to learn more.
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