Democrats raise privacy concerns, say ‘unelected oligarch accessing info’ after Elon Musk's DOGE seeks US taxpayer data

Billionaire Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has been criticised for trying to gain access to a “broad range of taxpayer data,” according to a Bloomberg report citing sources.

The publication added that the DOGE team's efforts have gained attention from Democratic lawmakers, who have raised alarms over privacy and security concerns.

A source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Bloomberg that Elon Musk's team is “seeking the data but has not yet accessed it.”

Democrats Raise Concerns: ‘An Unelected Oligarch With No Security Clearance…’

Democratic lawmakers, including Representative Gregory Meeks of New York, have criticised the moves by Elon Musk's DOGE team. Gregory Meeks, who has been vocal on Musk-owned social media platform X, has raised concerns about the billionaire's actions since Elon Musk assumed a central role in the second Donald Trump administration.

Gregory Meeks wrote on X, “What are they looking for and who are they?! An unelected oligarch with no security clearance should not be accessing Americans’ most confidential information. Musk must be stopped. Democrats introduced the Taxpayer Data Protection Act to do just that [sic].” 

Elon Musk's Previous Brush With Privacy Concerns Due to DOGE

In January 2025, the newly formed DOGE acquired access to the US Treasury’s payment system, prompting a senior-level civil servant, who tried to block the move, to abruptly leave.

Attorneys general from 19 states and three labour unions also filed lawsuits to prevent DOGE’s access to the sensitive systems. 

“Oblivious to the threat this poses to the nation, President Trump has delegated virtually unchecked authority to Mr. Musk without proper legal authorization from Congress and without meaningful supervision of his activities,” the states said.

Following this, US federal District Judge Paul A Engelmayer, who was appointed by former President Barack Obama, issued a preliminary injunction preventing Elon Musk’s DOGE from accessing sensitive Treasury Department records containing personal data of millions of Americans.

Last week, three Senate Democrats also criticised Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent for what they called a “lack of candor” regarding what DOGE workers were doing with US payment systems.

(With inputs from Bloomberg)