Washington: Over 20 U.S. House Democrats on Thursday urged government watchdogs to investigate potential national security threats posed by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) team.
“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,” Representative Gerald E. Connolly, ranking member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, leading a group of Democratic lawmakers, wrote in a letter.
“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,” the letter said.
Although 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 government systems, nor is there any evidence that they have undergone the proper vetting to ensure the security of taxpayer and government data, it argued.
The letter was addressed to mostly deputy inspector generals at several federal agencies, including the U.S. Treasury, the Office of Personnel Management, the Department of Education, the U.S. Agency for International Development, the General Services Administration and the Small Business Administration.
U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order on his first day in office on Jan. 20 to establish DOGE, an advisory committee, led by Tesla CEO Musk.
Trump claimed that DOGE aims to significantly reduce federal spending to restore the efficiency of the federal government.
This move quickly prompted lawsuits from several government employee unions and oversight agencies, among others.
DOGE has recently accessed information from multiple federal agencies, drawing widespread criticism and sparking protests in multiple cities across the country.
UNI XINHUA
