House Democrats Propose Legislation to Restrict DOGE Access to Treasury Records

February 6, 2025 TruthUSA

The legislation will serve as a counterpart to the Senate bill introduced by Sen. Chuck Schumer earlier this week.

On February 6, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) unveiled new legislation aimed at restricting the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and Elon Musk from accessing payment data managed by the U.S. Treasury’s Bureau of the Fiscal Service.

“What is the need for Elon Musk and his associates to have access to the names, Social Security numbers, addresses, birth dates, and bank account details of millions of Americans?” Jeffries questioned during a press briefing.

“What are they planning to do with this information, and why aren’t House Republicans intervening?”

DOGE, established under Trump’s administration and overseen by Musk, was created as a part of the former president’s campaign pledge to significantly reduce federal expenditures and rules to enhance government efficiency.

Rep. Sean Casten (D-Ill.) expressed concerns to reporters, fearing that the Trump administration could eventually misuse the data to retaliate against political opponents, such as withholding Medicare payments to his home state of Illinois or SNAP food assistance to low-income individuals.

The Taxpayer Data Protection Act, introduced by Rep. Haley Stevens (D-Mich.), explicitly prohibits “special government employees” from utilizing, accessing, or exerting administrative control over the Treasury Department’s payment information. This regulation directly affects Musk, who is categorized as a special government employee.

Additionally, it grants the Inspector General of the Treasury Department the authority to investigate and report on any breaches of the established regulations.

Recently, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent authorized DOGE’s access to the payment systems and clarified on February 4 that this access is limited to “read-only.”

A White House representative stated on Wednesday that Musk and his team are functioning within “full compliance with federal law, appropriate security clearances, and as employees of the relevant agencies, rather than outside advisors or entities.”

In reaction to a lawsuit filed by two unions and a nonprofit regarding the access granted to DOGE, Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly of the D.C. U.S. District Court ruled on February 6 that only two special government employees—Tom Krause and Marko Elez—would be permitted to access the data, constrained to read-only format.

All other access is restricted to standard employees of the Treasury Department or those with the requisite security clearance and authority for such access.

Jeffries informed reporters that this bill is intended to complement the proposed Senate legislation—the “Stop the Steal” Act—introduced alongside Sen. Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) on February 4.

However, neither piece of legislation is anticipated to pass through the legislative process successfully. Republicans hold sway over both the House and Senate, and Trump is likely to veto any bills that obstruct DOGE’s operations.

These developments follow an attempt by Democratic members of Congress to enter the Treasury building on February 4, as they sought to conduct oversight amidst DOGE’s initiatives to reduce federal spending, in conjunction with executive actions by Trump that paused foreign aid, grants, and governmental loans.

The members of Congress were denied entry to the Treasury Building by the Secret Service.

Musk, along with Reps. Jeffries, Casten, and Stevens, did not immediately respond to inquiries for comment.

Reuters, Zachary Stieber, and Arjun Singh contributed to this report.

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