Demand Follows Peters’ Report Warning DOGE’s Unchecked Operations Put Americans’ Personal Data at Risk
WASHINGTON, DC — U.S. Senator Gary Peters (D‑MI), Ranking Member of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, is calling for a full, independent investigation into the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) activities at the Social Security Administration (SSA) after new disclosures revealed DOGE personnel may have broken federal law and exposed Americans’ most sensitive personal information, including Social Security numbers. A recent Department of Justice filing shows DOGE personnel created an unapproved third-party server, transferred SSA data outside the agency, and communicated with a partisan political advocacy group seeking to compare SSA data to state voter rolls without oversight from SSA officials.
In letters to SSA Commissioner Frank Bisignano and SSA Assistant Inspector General for Audit Michelle Anderson, Peters wrote:
“The management of sensitive agency data in compliance with federal laws, agency guidance, and other guardrails is critically important, both to safeguard vital programs like Social Security and Medicare and to protect the American public from identity theft and breaches of their most sensitive personal information. At a minimum, the DOJ filing suggests that SSA failed to adequately oversee DOGE activities, which potentially compromised sensitive personal data—precisely what the HSGAC Minority report and whistleblowers warned against. At worst, SSA was complicit in the apparent Hatch Act and Privacy Act violations and lied to Congressional investigators.”
Peters’ letters request detailed records, risk assessments, communications, and interviews related to DOGE’s work at SSA, including any unauthorized data sharing with outside groups or other federal agencies. He is also pressing the SSA Inspector General to launch a comprehensive investigation into whether DOGE violated federal law, agency policies, or data security requirements — and whether Americans’ personal information was manipulated, leaked, or stolen.
Peters warned in a September report that DOGE has operated largely unchecked at SSA and other agencies, risking major data breaches – a warning borne out in the new DOJ filing. SSA has since acknowledged that DOGE personnel engaged in actions potentially outside agency policy and in violation of federal law, including the unauthorized sharing of sensitive data belonging to up to 1,100 Americans with DOGE-affiliated individuals at the Department of Labor and the Department of Homeland Security.
Additionally, according to a recent news report about a new whistleblower disclosure, a former DOGE employee may have downloaded Social Security data onto a thumb drive and continues to have access to live SSA data while now working for a private company, raising further need for immediate investigation and an end to all outside access to Americans’ vital personal information.
Peters called for all outside access to Social Security data to be immediately halted after his September report determined that DOGE is operating without accountability to agency officials and is likely violating federal privacy and security laws and pitting the safety of Americans’ personal information in danger. Peters’ report highlighted systemic failures in oversight and transparency, underscoring the urgent need for accountability and stronger safeguards to protect sensitive data.
Text of the letter to Social Security Administration Inspector General Michelle Anderson can be found here.
Text of the letter to Acting Social Security Commissioner Frank Bisignano can be found here.
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