Elon Musk’s efficiency department pushes to access taxpayer data from IRS, says report - US politics live
The Washington Post reports ‘Doge’ is requesting access to the system that contains the personal financial records of millions of Americans
Elon Musk’s “department of government efficiency” (Doge) is making an unprecedented push for access to an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) that houses detailed financial information about every taxpayer, business and nonprofit in the US, raising alarms over privacy, security, and government overreach, The Washington Post reports.
According to the publication, Doge is requesting access to a classified IRS system that contains the sensitive personal financial records of millions of Americans.
The request, reportedly under review, would give Doge officials “broad access to tax-agency systems, property, and datasets. Among them is the Integrated Data Retrieval System, or IDRS, which enables tax agency employees to access IRS accounts — including personal identification numbers — and bank information,” the Washington Post reports.
A Trump administration official defended the move, stating that Doge staff are working to “eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse, and improve government performance to better serve the people.”