Dozens of House Democrats Seek Answers on DOGE Report

The Democrats citied a ‘whistleblower report’ that claimed DOGE staffers accessed systems in a labor board.

An American flag flies at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on May 13, 2024. Lei Chen/NTD

More than 50 House Democrats sent a letter to the Trump administration seeking answers regarding a “whistleblower report” from a federal labor board staffer who made allegations against the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

In their letter, dated April 24, the Democrat lawmakers said that the report was filed by an unnamed National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) official who claims that DOGE officials were provided access to “sensitive information” in the board’s systems.

“This account alleges ... also that DOGE officials extracted a high volume of information, intentionally removed any details about the information that was extracted, and left workers’ data exposed in the process,” the Democrats’ letter said, adding that DOGE personnel came to the NLRB headquarters last month and were given high-level access to the board’s systems.

According to the report, DOGE staffers were also permitted to read, copy, and alter the Board’s data, the Democrats said in their letter, which was addressed to the General Counsel of the National Labor Relations Board, William Cowen.

“These revelations from the whistleblower report are highly concerning for a number of reasons,” the lawmakers, who are part of the Congressional Labor Caucus, said in their letter to Cowen. “If true, these revelations describe a reckless approach to the handling of sensitive personal information of workers, which could leave these workers exposed to retaliation for engaging in legally protected union activity.”

The Democrats then demanded information about the alleged DOGE activity at the NLRB, including whether they accessed an internal case management system, as well as claims that DOGE staffers obtained 10 gigabytes of data from that system. They also asked about reports of DOGE visiting the board’s headquarters on April 16.

The Epoch Times contacted the White House for comment on Friday. Neither DOGE, Musk, Cowen, nor the White House has publicly responded to the claims in the letter.

Under the National Labor Relations Act, the NLRB is designated with hearing complaints regarding private sector employers who have allegedly engaged in unfair labor practices. It also enforces collective bargaining agreements between unions and companies.

Since taking office, President Donald Trump has moved to fire members of the NLRB, a decision that was upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court earlier in April.

Created by Trump in January, DOGE is tasked with rooting out abuse, waste, and fraud from the federal government. Staffers with the agency have gone to different agencies, departments, and boards and have recommended various cuts and contract terminations.

Musk and Trump have said that DOGE is needed due to what they say is the massive amount of taxpayer dollars that are being wasted on needless programs. The White House has also said the effort is part of Trump’s plan to shrink the federal administrative state and reshape the government.

“No one knows exactly how many federal agencies exist, but the Federal Register lists over 400,” said a White House fact sheet on DOGE, adding that nearly $300 billion was spent on compensation to civilian employees by the federal government in 2022.

According to DOGE’s website, the task force says that it has saved an estimated $160 billion through cutting contracts, streamlining agency efficiency, and terminating grants. So far, more than 9,600 grants have been terminated, worth $33 billion; 8,400 contracts have been cut, worth $30 billion; and 643 leases have been terminated that total about $311 million.

Earlier this week, Musk told investors with his company, Tesla, on a call that he will continue to support DOGE when he steps away from the task force next month “to make sure that the waste and fraud that we stop does not come roaring back.”