“There is no reason non-government political operatives would need access to sensitive payment systems.”
Washington, D.C. – Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., sounded the alarm following reports of DOGE operatives accessing the Social Security Administration’s (SSA) data systems, after taking control of the Department of Treasury’s payment systems. Semafor reported yesterday that DOGE is seeking access, or has even already accessed, SSA’s systems.
As the nation’s largest benefit-paying agency to more than 70 million seniors, people with disabilities, and children, the Social Security Administration is the hub for storing Americans’ most sensitive medical and financial information. DOGE’s access to SSA’s data system is an invasion of both Americans’ financial security and privacy–including people’s bank and credit information, Social Security numbers, birth and marriage certificates, and citizenship status. Career civil servants, who are required to follow strict federal and state laws and regulations, manage these records to protect tens of millions of seniors, adults, and children’s health and financial information.
In the letter to Acting Commissioner Michelle King, Wyden underscored, “As the central hub for Americans’ most sensitive personal and financial information and the nation’s largest benefit-paying agency, DOGE’s actions represent a two-front invasion on Americans’ financial security and privacy. The information collected and housed at the agency could have significant commercial value as well as competitive advantage for individuals seeking to use it for financial gain. Likewise, it could be misappropriated to target American citizens and businesses for political or exploitative means.”
Current federal law protects Americans’ private and sensitive information from being improperly disclosed and misused. DOGE has not publicly stated its reason for needing to access such private and sensitive information that is protected under federal law, including the Privacy Act of 1974 and the Social Security Act.
Wyden continued, “Without appropriate oversight, transparency, and accountability, our nation’s health care, retirement and disability systems —and the privacy of millions of Americans—are at the political whims of President Trump, Congressional Republicans, and DOGE.”
To ensure proper government oversight, Wyden demands Musk and Trump respond to the following questions:
- Has DOGE, or any individuals or entities operating under the guise of or direction of DOGE (including such individuals who may have been onboarded to the Agency and received an Agency or Departmental email address) requested and/or received access to any SSA system that is used in determining eligibility or benefit amount of Social Security or SSI benefits?
- Has DOGE, or any individuals or entities operating under the direction of DOGE gained access to SSA databases that include personally identifiable information, wage or tax information, or personal health information?
- Have any private or commercial servers been connected or integrated into SSA data systems to review, edit, modify, access, delete, move or otherwise change data?
- What steps has SSA taken to ensure that the data of individuals, beneficiaries, and health care providers are not misused for politically motivated purposes?
The full letter can be found here.