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House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) announced on Feb. 6 new legislation to limit the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and Elon Musk from accessing the U.S. Treasury\u2019s Bureau of the Fiscal Service payment data.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy do Elon Musk and his minions need access to the names, Social Security numbers, addresses, birth dates and bank account information of millions of Americans?\u201d Jeffries asked at a press conference.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat are they doing with it, and why aren\u2019t House Republicans stopping them?\u201d<\/p>\n
DOGE, created by Trump and headed by Musk, was formed as part of the president\u2019s campaign promise to cut wide swaths of federal spending and regulations to strengthen government efficiency.<\/p>\n
Rep. Sean Casten (D-Ill.) told reporters he feared President Donald Trump\u2019s administration would eventually use the data to take retribution against his political enemies, like stopping Medicare payments to his home state of Illinois, or SNAP food stamp payments to low-income Americans.<\/p>\n
The Taxpayer Data Protection Act, sponsored by Rep. Haley Stevens (D-Mich.), specifically bars \u201cspecial government employees\u201d from using, accessing, or exercising administrative control over the Treasury Department\u2019s payment data. This applies directly to Musk, who is classified as a special government employee.<\/p>\n
It also authorizes the Inspector General of the Treasury Department to investigate and report on any violations of the new rules.<\/p>\n
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent recently gave DOGE access to the payment systems and\u00a0clarified<\/a>\u00a0on Feb. 4 that this was restricted to \u201cread-only\u201d access.<\/p>\n A White House official said on Wednesday that Musk and his team are operating in \u201cfull compliance with federal law, appropriate security clearances, and as employees of the relevant agencies, not as outside advisors or entities.\u201d<\/p>\n In response to a lawsuit by two unions and a nonprofit over the access granted to DOGE, Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly of the D.C. U.S. District Court\u00a0ruled<\/a>\u00a0on Feb. 6 that only two special government employees\u2014Tom Krause and Marko Elez\u2014could access the data, and only in read-only form.<\/p>\n All other access is limited to regular employees of the Treasury Department, or those whose security clearance and purview gives them the right to such access.<\/p>\n Jeffries told reporters that the bill is meant to be a companion to proposed Senate legislation\u2014the \u201cStop the Steal\u201d Act\u2014announced with Sen. Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) on Feb. 4.<\/p>\n Neither bill is likely to make it through the legislative gauntlet. Republicans control both the House and Senate, and Trump is expected to veto any legislation hindering the work of DOGE.<\/p>\n