Senators question Treasury on DOGE's access to sensitive data

U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren, Ron Wyden, and Jack Reed have raised concerns over the Treasury Department's handling of access granted to the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) officials. In a letter addressed to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, the senators cited new court documents that suggest misrepresentations regarding DOGE's access to sensitive payment systems and personal information of Americans.

The senators expressed their worries about inconsistencies in the information provided by Secretary Bessent to Congress and the public. They emphasized the potential risks these inconsistencies pose to Treasury operations' integrity. The documents indicate that DOGE personnel could modify system coding and were planning to use Treasury systems for pausing payments by other agencies.

Treasury had stated that a longtime technology executive was examining its systems. However, it turned out to be a 25-year-old programmer who resigned after his racist social media posts went viral. The department also claimed DOGE was reviewing efficiency improvements, but it aimed at implementing a broad funding freeze using payment systems.

Further discrepancies include claims that DOGE received similar access as other consultants or experts. Court documents reveal career staff accommodating an unusual arrangement instead. While downplaying risks to system integrity, civil servants scrambled to mitigate threats posed by this situation.

"Your lack of candor about these events is deeply troubling given the threats to the economy and the public from DOGE’s meddling," wrote Warren, Wyden, and Reed in their letter. They urged Secretary Bessent for a clear and complete public accounting of who accessed these systems, what actions they took, and their reasons.