The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) under the leadership of Elon Musk is already causing major privacy concerns around taxpayers’ information. Associated Press Reporter Fatima Hussein joined Wake Up With WURD with Solomon Jones to break down how Musk’s newly acquired power has raised questions about how much power unelected officials can and should have.
DOGE was created to eliminate governmental “waste” to make government agencies, such as the U.S. Department of Treasury, run more efficiently and smoothly. However, as DOGE seeks out data such as Social Security numbers, personal identities, and payment histories, it has grown unclear whether the intention from DOGE is to view or to manipulate the data.
“ We do know that there is this special government employee designation that people like Musk can bypass some of these security requirements, but it’s unclear who has clearance and who doesn’t,” said Hussein.
“ The Treasury has tried to respond to the concerns of…the democratic lawmakers and advocates – and there has been a lawsuit filed by a group of unions and advocates against the administration for allowing DOGE to have this level of access to the payment system. On top of that, the Treasury Department sent out a letter to saying that the access has is read-only, they’re not stopping the payments.”
Musk’s public comments have added more confusion to the situation. Musk published a string of tweets about eliminating government programs like the IRS’s free direct file initiative, which allows taxpayers to eliminate a middle-party tax preparer, and that he is trying to stop payments.
These privacy concerns, coinciding with Musk’s outsized influence on the Trump administration, have prompted worries about how a private citizen can influence and control governmental operations.
“ I think we’re still in the very beginnings of a presidency and then transition. Naturally, you’re going to see departures and you’re going to see rumors and you’ll see a lot of speculation,” said Hussein. “You’re going to see lots of change. Some of this is natural chaos and some of it is manufactured.”
Listen to Hussein’s full breakdown of DOGE actions on SoundCloud below:
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Hosted by award-winning journalist Solomon Jones, Wake Up With WURD is a news and entertainment talk show that promotes dialogue and debate on today's hottest issues, and does so from a black perspective. Our guests include journalists, politicians, leaders, academics, and pop-culture icons. We seek to share news and information interactively, to engage our listeners in meaningful and compelling dialogue, and to use information as a basis for action.
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