New bill would protect Americans’ privacy and the security of the government’s most sensitive data systems after DOGE infiltration
Washington, DC – U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Ron Wyden (D-OR), and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) today introduced the Pick Up After Your DOGE Act, legislation requiring a comprehensive audit of federal agency computer systems and networks accessed by staff of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Since the start of the Trump Administration, DOGE employees with little training and few qualifications have gained access to sensitive data and computer systems at numerous federal agencies, including the Social Security Administration, IRS, Treasury, Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Veterans Administration, FEMA, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Federal Aviation Administration, Department of Transportation, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Agriculture, Department of Housing and Urban Development, General Services Administration, and Department of Energy.
“The DOGE-boys have weaseled their way into Americans’ most sensitive data systems, claiming to hunt ‘waste, fraud, and abuse,’ while actually creating waste, fraud, and abuse. They’re destroying Americans’ trust in once-reliable government systems and could be hawking your stolen data to their friends in Big Tech and AI,” said Whitehouse. “The Pick Up After Your DOGE Act protects seniors and all Americans by fixing any bugs or backdoors that DOGE may have purposefully or negligently created in Social Security, Medicare, and other highly sensitive government data systems.”
“Letting unvetted Elon Musk goons poke holes in the most sensitive government systems is a disaster for Americans’ privacy and our national security. It could take years to undo the damage and hold DOGE officials fully accountable for any violations of federal law,” Wyden said. “I’m glad to work with Senator Whitehouse on this bill to jumpstart the massive cleanup effort required to root out the damage DOGE has inflicted and shore up these systems.”
Unqualified, unvetted, and unaccountable young staffers hired by Elon Musk have infiltrated Americans’ most sensitive data systems. Such systems ensure Americans get their tax refunds and Social Security checks on time, Medicare and Medicaid payments get made, air travel is safe, and much more.
The DOGE infiltration poses substantial risks to Americans’ data and wellbeing. Vulnerabilities and bugs left behind in these systems could put Americans at risk of getting scammed, hacked, or even spied on by foreign governments. Damage done to these systems could disrupt tax refunds, Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid payments, and other vital services Americans depend on. There is also the risk that Donald Trump’s Big Tech and AI allies are given unfettered access to this massive trove of Americans’ data to enrich themselves and undermine their competitors.
The Pick Up After Your DOGE Act would:
- Require the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to perform a comprehensive audit of federal agency computer systems and networks accessed by DOGE to identify security vulnerabilities or bugs in software installed, created, or modified by DOGE teams, starting with the Social Security Administration, Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Treasury, and the IRS; and
- Require that agencies fix any vulnerabilities or bugs identified in the report within 90 days.
In June, Whitehouse took to the Senate floor to request unanimous passage of the Protecting Seniors Data Act, a bill to require performance and security audits of the computer systems of the Social Security Administration to ensure DOGE had not damaged or abused access to private Social Security data. Senate Republicans subsequently blocked the passage of the measure.
The full text of the Pick Up After Your DOGE Act is available here.
