The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Elon Musk under the Trump administration, is seeking access to the IRS’s Integrated Data Retrieval System (IDRS), which contains sensitive financial information of all U.S. taxpayers. The proposal includes placing a DOGE software engineer at the IRS for 120 days to assist with IT modernization and engineering, though the agreement hasn’t been finalized.
The move has sparked significant opposition from Democratic lawmakers. Sens. Ron Wyden and Elizabeth Warren have expressed concerns about potential weaponization of private financial data, while Rep. Jimmy Gomez called it an “illegal and blatant power grab.” The unprecedented nature of this request is highlighted by the fact that even the IRS commissioner and internal watchdog don’t have access to the IDRS system.
The White House defends the initiative, with spokesperson Harrison Fields emphasizing the need to address “waste, fraud and abuse” in the system. DOGE has launched a social media account on X (formerly Twitter) seeking public assistance in identifying IRS-related waste and fraud.
The context includes recent history of IRS data security concerns, as both Mr. Trump and Mr. Musk previously had their tax information leaked. An IRS contractor, Charles Littlejohn, was sentenced to five years in prison for leaking Trump’s tax data, with Republicans criticizing the sentence as too lenient.
DOGE has already investigated several federal agencies, including the Treasury Department, Education Department, USAID and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. However, they’ve faced legal challenges, with judges halting their access to Treasury payment systems and efforts to dismantle the CFPB.
Read more: DOGE seeks access to IRS system with taxpayers’ financial data
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