Federal officials are investigating allegations that a former staffer connected to the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency attempted to access and potentially transfer sensitive Social Security Administration data involving hundreds of millions of Americans.
The Social Security Administration’s inspector general is examining a whistleblower complaint accusing the former software engineer of attempting to share information from Social Security databases with a private employer. The Washington Post first reported the existence of the complaint and the investigation.
According to the report, journalists reviewed the complaint itself and a letter sent by the acting inspector general to senior members of four congressional committees. The newspaper also spoke with the whistleblower and other unnamed sources familiar with the allegations.
The former staffer, whose identity has not been publicly disclosed, allegedly told colleagues that he possessed two major Social Security databases containing sensitive records related to more than 500 million living and deceased Americans.
The databases referenced in the complaint are known as “Numident” and the “Master Death File.” The Numident database contains the master list of Social Security numbers issued to individuals along with identifying information. The Master Death File contains records related to deceased Social Security number holders and is used across government and financial institutions.
According to the whistleblower complaint described in the reporting, the former engineer allegedly told multiple colleagues that he had access to both databases and planned to remove personal identifying details before connecting the remaining information to his company’s system.
The Washington Post reported that “the complaint does not allege that the engineer was successful in uploading the data to the company’s system.”
A lawyer representing the former DOGE staffer told the newspaper that his client denied all alleged wrongdoing.
The allegations have renewed scrutiny of the Department of Government Efficiency, an initiative launched by President Donald Trump shortly after taking office that sought to restructure and reduce federal government operations.
The program placed teams connected to the initiative inside multiple federal agencies. Billionaire Elon Musk served as the de facto leader of the effort until leaving the administration last May.
Following the report, lawmakers began calling for further investigation and oversight of DOGE’s activities within federal agencies.
Representative John Larson of Connecticut responded to the allegations by calling for a congressional investigation, writing that “we need a full congressional investigation and answers!”
The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform also moved to expand its inquiry. Ranking Member Robert Garcia of California said the committee would broaden its investigation into potential DOGE-related data leaks involving the Social Security Administration.
Garcia said in a statement that “the deeply disturbing whistleblower information obtained by the committee shows the Trump administration’s callous disregard for the safety and security of Americans’ most sensitive information.”
He also raised concerns about the extent of access allegedly granted to the former staffer.
“Not only has an ex-DOGE bro been accused of running around with the social security information of every American on a flash drive, he also may have the ability to edit and manipulate data at the Social Security Administration at will,” Garcia said. “This is dangerous and outrageous, and Oversight Committee Democrats will fight for transparency and accountability.”
Advocacy groups representing retirees also expressed alarm about the allegations and the potential scope of the data involved.
Richard Fiesta, executive director of the Alliance for Retired Americans, warned that the information stored within Social Security systems represents some of the most sensitive personal records held by the federal government.
“Allegations that a ‘DOGE bro’ may have removed highly sensitive Social Security data onto a thumb drive should set off alarm bells across the country,” Fiesta said.
Fiesta emphasized that the Social Security Administration maintains extensive personal records tied to Americans’ identities and work histories.
“Social Security holds some of the most personal information Americans have, including Social Security numbers, birth and health records, and lifetime earnings histories,” Fiesta said. “If these reports are accurate, it is a stunning, illegal data security breach.”
He also called for swift action from investigators and lawmakers.
“Americans deserve timely, honest answers about what happened, whose information may have been exposed, what will be done to protect them going forward,” Fiesta said. “Anyone involved must be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law. Congress and the Social Security inspector general must move quickly to get the facts and ensure that all involved in this reported data breach are punished.”
Public interest organizations that have previously warned about the risks of government data sharing under the DOGE initiative also responded to the report.
Lisa Gilbert, co-president of Public Citizen, said the allegations reflect longstanding concerns about oversight surrounding the initiative.
“this massive, illegal, and horrific breach of Americans’ most sensitive data has confirmed the very fears we’ve been warning about for over a year—that the Trump administration allowing DOGE to infiltrate our government without oversight created fertile ground for abuse, and in this case of an exceptionally egregious kind,” Gilbert said.
Public Citizen had previously filed lawsuits attempting to prevent misuse of federal data connected to the initiative.
“These are the kinds of breaches that Public Citizen had previously sued the government to prevent,” Gilbert said.
She also called for immediate legal action if evidence confirms that Social Security data was improperly copied or removed.
“Federal and state officials must ensure the misuse of this data ends immediately and that all private copies of Social Security data are destroyed,” Gilbert said. “Prosecutors should open a criminal investigation immediately and, if the evidence supports it, prosecute this case aggressively.”
The inspector general investigation into the whistleblower complaint remains ongoing.
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