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By Monica Sager and Gabe Whisnant
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Washington Senator Patty Murray said during a press conference on Monday that she and other top Democrats are "pulling the fire alarm" with Senate procedure after Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) reportedly gained access to Treasury Department data.
"We are pulling the fire alarm," Murray said. "It is up to Republicans, who are the majority in Congress who are passing these nominations, who are sitting silently by while Elon Musk goes into departments, into agencies and takes your information. It is up to them to decide whether they want to get out the fire hoses or sit in the fire."
Why It Matters
The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a task force run by Musk, President Donald Trump's billionaire ally, is working to cut wasteful federal spending. DOGE has been granted access to "sensitive Treasury data," including Social Security and Medicare customer payment systems, the Associated Press reported.
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Musk has been working as a "special government employee," a White House Official told the AP. He does not receive a paycheck for his work.
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What To Know
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer kicked off the press conference Monday with other top Democrats, calling out the "unelected shadow government" that has been "conducting a hostile takeover of the federal government."
"Donald Trump essentially handed DOGE the Social Security data of virtually every American citizen," Schumer said. "Donald Trump gave DOGE access to America's personal refund data. He gave DOGE access to people's Medicare and Medicaid benefits, disability data, veteran benefit data. Worst of all, we don't know what DOGE intends to do with this information."
Schumer said that he and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries are working together on legislation to "stop unlawful meddling."
The Democrats noted that DOGE is not a part of the government and has no authority to "shut programs down or ignore federal law."
"Make no mistake, Trump and Musk have absolutely zero, zero legal authority to hold up any legal payments that are law," Murray said. "But that has not stopped them so far."
Senator Brian Schatz of Hawaii noted that the "law here is absolutely on the side of the American people," as they vote in people to Congress who can vote on the payments, not Musk, who does not hold a governmental position.
"They are depending on some sort of sense of swagger and inevitability to storm into buildings and take over the servers and run the databases and relieve people of their duties like this is some hostile takeover of a tech company," Schatz said. "This is your government. You can hate parts of it, love parts of it and be neutral about other parts of it, but it's still your government."
Murray recognized that it's also the job of her Republican counterparts.
"I think we know what they need to do, and we're calling on them to do that," Murray said. "We need them to join us. We need them to stand up to the corruption and lawlessness and stand up for the people they represent."
Elon Musk's New Prominence In Politics
Since Trump's 2024 presidential campaign, Elon Musk has been an ever-growing presence in United States politics, joining rallies, speaking out on social media, and now heading DOGE.
Musk recently urged lawmakers to vote down an original bipartisan spending bill and said any lawmaker who supported it should be voted out of office. At one point, some Republican lawmakers called for Musk to become House speaker. He has also been the center of the ongoing H-1B visa program debate.
More recently, Musk announced that the USAID would shut down.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent approved Musk's access to the Treasury on Friday. It allows him and his team entry into a system responsible for trillions of dollars in government payments, including Social Security checks and tax refunds.
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What People Are Saying
President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House on Monday: "Elon got access only to letting people go that he thinks are no good if we agree with him, and it's only if we agree with him; Elon can't do and won't do anything without our approval. And we'll give him the approval where appropriate, and where not appropriate, we won't; Where we think there's a conflict, we won't let him go near it."
Elon Musk on X, formerly Twitter, resharing a video of Trump's statement above: "Exactly."
Representative Pramila Jayapal, Friday on X: "Elon Musk, the richest man on Earth, is rooting around in Social Security and Medicare payment systems. He's reaching his hands into our pockets and firing anyone who tries to stop him. This reeks of corruption — it must stop."
Update 5:42 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
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