Press Releases

Today, Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (WA-01) and fellow Ways and Means Committee Democrats demanded answers from the Trump administration regarding Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency’s (DOGE) unlawful access to confidential taxpayer data and other sensitive personal information of millions of Americans.

The Treasury Department’s payment system contains a broad swath of sensitive data, including taxpayers’ names, addresses, Social Security numbers, and the amount of tax refunds, all of which is confidential and protected by the law. Unauthorized disclosure of tax returns or return information is a felony under Section 6103 of the Internal Revenue Code and is punishable by a fine of up to $5,000, or imprisonment of up to 5 years, or both.

“It is both unclear and unsettling why DOGE would be privy to this sensitive payment system and confidential taxpayer information. It is alarming that DOGE will decide whether and when hard-working American families will receive their tax refunds and may even pick and choose among them,” the lawmakers wrote in a letter to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.

DelBene has long-been a privacy advocate, authoring a comprehensive federal data privacy bill over the previous several Congresses.

Referencing two Nixon executive orders, the lawmakers concluded, “President Trump’s DOGE’s Executive Order is history repeating itself.”

The full text of the letter is available here.

The lawmakers demanded answers in writing to the following questions:

• How many times did DOGE request confidential taxpayer information protected under Section 6103 or request access to systems that contain information provided by the Internal Revenue Service (including social security numbers, bank accounts, addresses, taxable income, and the amount of tax refunds)?  Please provide the name of the requester, the date of the request, a description of the data sought, the name of the system, and a copy of all correspondence soliciting such information by DOGE.

• How many times has DOGE received confidential taxpayer information protected under Section 6103 or access (including continuous) to systems that contain such information?  Please provide the name of the recipient, the date(s) such information or access was provided, the name of the system, and a description of the information provided along with any correspondence sent to DOGE regarding such information.

• How many taxpayers (individuals and businesses) have had their confidential taxpayer information received or accessed by DOGE?  Please provide the date(s) received or accessed, a description of the data, the number of taxpayers (in millions) provided, a breakdown of the taxpayers by individual and business, a list of the names and state of residence of such taxpayers, and the name of the individual(s) who authorized providing such information to DOGE.