Congresswomen Deborah Ross (NC-02), Ranking Member of the Science, Space, and Technology Subcommittee on Energy; Zoe Lofgren (CA-18), Ranking Member of the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology; and Emilia Sykes (OH-13), Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight, called on the Department of Energy (DOE) to explain their interactions with the “Department of Government Efficiency”, or DOGE, including allowing unvetted personnel access to private and secure systems.
“We have observed, with great alarm, the shocking disregard for data privacy and security protocols exhibited by personnel associated with the so-called ‘Department of Government Efficiency,’ or DOGE,” the Ranking Members said in the letter. “The executive order that created DOGE explicitly limited its access to ‘all unclassified agency records,’ and only ‘to the maximum extent consistent with law.’ Recent press reports, however, described a confrontation between DOGE personnel and security officials at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), during which DOGE employees without proper security clearances sought to gain access to secure systems containing classified information.”
The lawmakers continued, “This is an appalling situation. The recklessness and contempt with which DOGE personnel are rampaging through the federal government threatens a wide range of security interests, privacy controls, and government services. Their egregious and seemingly unlawful acts compromise our national security and put Americans at risk. … Moreover, the risk to DOE is heightened due to the enormous conflicts-of-interest that the leader of DOGE, Elon Musk, has with DOE. Mr. Musk, apparently serving as a ‘special government employee,’ is personally directing DOGE’s activities. He is also the CEO of Tesla, one of the world’s largest electric vehicle and clean energy companies.”
They concluded by relaying their concerns about classified or proprietary data being used by DOGE hackers and the risk if poses for future DOE projects: “Our immediate concern is to evaluate the danger posed by any DOGE access to DOE’s secure systems, including classified data managed or accessed by the agency, and to ensure that any access to sensitive and proprietary information granted to DOGE does not promote the personal interests of Elon Musk. DOE and its national laboratories use classified information in support of numerous department functions. Any breach of protocol surrounding the preservation or integrity of secure systems could have grave consequences for the department and the country. Furthermore, DOE’s work in recent years promoting clean energy technologies and next generation vehicles directly intersect with Tesla’s corporate interests. … The possibility that such proprietary data could be obtained by the CEO of Tesla without regard to DOE’s official safeguards for the protection of non-public information risks compromising the department’s ability to collaborate with the private sector on a broad range of critical issues in the future.”
Full text of the letter is available here.