Democrats push back against data-grab by ‘unelected puppet master’ Elon Musk

Democratic legislature leaders Thursday unveiled a bill aimed astatine pushing backmost against what they called improper snooping by aides to billionaire Elon Musk, who’s been enlisted by President Trump to slash the national budget.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said the caller Taxpayer Data Protection Act would barroom Musk’s squad astatine the Department of Government Efficiency from gaining entree to Americans’ delicate idiosyncratic information held by the Treasury Department and different national authorities agencies.

Calling Musk’s moves a “power grab,” Jeffries said Democrats are moving to rein in the antheral helium called Trump’s “unelected, unaccountable, retired of power billionaire puppet master.”

“Why bash Elon Musk and his minions request entree to the names, Social Security numbers, addresses, birthdates and slope relationship accusation of millions of Americans?” the Brooklyn Democrat added.

Musk has shaken up Washington by sending DOGE investigators to comb done Treasury Department files and outgo systems successful what helium frames arsenic a fearless effort to basal retired fraud and wasteful spending.

Democrats telephone it a partisan sportfishing expedition that could exposure mean people’s delicate accusation including government  payments.

The absorption enactment and privateness activists are pushing backmost connected respective fronts.

A justice issued an bid temporarily blocking Treasury officials from opening immoderate files to DOGE, which is not an authoritative authorities agency.

Democrats are besides pressing for hearings and investigations into however DOGE investigators, immoderate of whom bash not person information clearances, are being allowed specified wide entree into usually backstage files.

Bessent shrugged disconnected the concerns arsenic partisan whining from Democrats hoping to debar heavy cuts successful authorities programs.

“When you perceive this squawking, past immoderate presumption quo involvement is not happy,” Bessent said.

The Data Protection Act would mandate that lone radical with due information clearances and grooming tin entree the Treasury Department’s outgo and receipt system. They indispensable motion a committedness to uphold morals concerns and person nary conflicts of interest.

It would besides necessitate Treasury authoritative to notify Congress and the nationalist beryllium notified of unauthorized access, including imaginable nationalist information risks oregon interference with Social Security and different payments to mundane Americans.

The measure is simply a agelong changeable fixed that Republicans power the House, albeit by lone a slim three-vote margin.

But Rep. Sean Casten (D-Illinois) said helium hopes to get a fistful of GOP lawmakers to interruption ranks and nonstop a beardown connection to Musk, who polls accidental is unpopular.

”I cognize they’re retired there, I cognize they’ve got the patriotism,” helium said. “They’ve conscionable got to amusement the courage.“