The Home Oversight and Judiciary committees despatched a sweeping info request to the Division of Authorities Effectivity (DOGE) Tuesday, in search of to root out Elon Musk’s position and the extent its workers have gained entry to delicate databases.
Rep. Jamie Raskin (Md.) and Rep. Gerry Connolly (Va.), the highest Democrat on every panel described DOGE as being “”cloaked in secrecy” and “evidently ha[ving] broad powers to shutter federal agencies, fire federal workers, and access the most sensitive government databases.”
“We write today to demand that, pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), you provide us, the U.S. Congress and the American people, with clear answers to basic questions about DOGE, including who is in charge, the scope of its authority over federal agencies and workers, what government data it has access to, and whether DOGE is serving the interests of the American people or the interests of Mr. Musk’s companies and his foreign customers,” they wrote in a letter to the company.
It’s uncommon for lawmakers to file a FOIA request to realize info, however Republicans on the Home Oversight Committee blocked a transfer from Democrats on the panel in February to subpoena Musk.
Raskin and Connolly stated the choice got here after the Trump administration has refused to answer quite a few requests for info.
The lawmakers highlighted contradictory statements from President Trump and Justice Division attorneys in courtroom as to the position performed by Musk and his energy within the federal authorities.
That element has turn out to be central in quite a few courtroom battles over whether or not Musk and DOGE have the authority to hold out quite a few actions directed by the fledgling division.
“These contradictory and confusing statements leave everything perfectly unclear except the inescapable conclusion that President Trump, Elon Musk, and the Administration have been consistently lying to the courts or to the American people, or both, about who is in charge of DOGE,” the attorneys wrote.
An accompanying 15-page Freedom of Data Act (FOIA) request asks for detailed personnel information of all workers of DOGE and their standing – some are volunteers whereas Musk has been designated a particular authorities worker.
It additionally lists greater than 40 workers of DOGE – asking for any conflicts of curiosity they might have and any non-disclosure agreements they might have signed. A extra particular request features a checklist of corporations owned by Musk whereas the letter to the companies notes his corporations “receive billions of dollars in government contracts and subsidies.”
The request additionally features a far-reaching request concerning the “dismantling, elimination, and/or reduction of the personnel and/or operations” and numerous companies touched by DOGE, in addition to the canceling of federal grants and leases.
It additionally asks for info on all plans to fireside probationary federal employees and ignite reductions in drive throughout authorities.
The lawmakers request a breakdown of what federal databases workers have been given entry to in addition to any Memorandum of Understanding signed between DOGE and different federal companies.
It additionally asks for an inventory of “all applications (including deleted apps) downloaded and installed on computers of individuals” of DOGE workers and any directions they’ve been given relating to the usage of synthetic intelligence.
