The Trump administration has admitted that employees of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) who worked at the Social Security Administration (SSA) had more access to sensitive data on Americans than previously disclosed. This revelation came in a court filing, which also revealed that DOGE staffers were in contact with a political advocacy group seeking to analyze state voter rolls and overturn election results.
The SSA discovered that two of its DOGE employees had signed a "Voter Data Agreement" with the group without proper review, allowing them to access sensitive information. The agreement was made in March 2025, and the SSA learned about it only after conducting an audit separate from the ongoing lawsuit.
In addition, the SSA found that one of the DOGE employees shared data through Cloudflare, a third-party server not approved for sharing sensitive information in this manner. The agency still does not know what specific data were shared or whether they exist on the server.
The SSA also made two referrals under the Hatch Act, which prohibits government employees from engaging in political activities in their professional capacity, due to the DOGE employees' actions. The Trump administration's admission comes after a federal court in Maryland previously ordered the SSA to comply with certain protocols and correct its statements.
This development raises concerns about the handling of sensitive data by government agencies and the potential for politicization of public records. The SSA has acknowledged that some earlier statements made to the court were not entirely true, but said they are still largely accurate in several cases.
The SSA discovered that two of its DOGE employees had signed a "Voter Data Agreement" with the group without proper review, allowing them to access sensitive information. The agreement was made in March 2025, and the SSA learned about it only after conducting an audit separate from the ongoing lawsuit.
In addition, the SSA found that one of the DOGE employees shared data through Cloudflare, a third-party server not approved for sharing sensitive information in this manner. The agency still does not know what specific data were shared or whether they exist on the server.
The SSA also made two referrals under the Hatch Act, which prohibits government employees from engaging in political activities in their professional capacity, due to the DOGE employees' actions. The Trump administration's admission comes after a federal court in Maryland previously ordered the SSA to comply with certain protocols and correct its statements.
This development raises concerns about the handling of sensitive data by government agencies and the potential for politicization of public records. The SSA has acknowledged that some earlier statements made to the court were not entirely true, but said they are still largely accurate in several cases.