SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
alliance for retired americans
'Massive, Illegal, and Horrific Breach': Ex-DOGE Staffer Allegedly Stole Social Security Data
"Americans deserve timely, honest answers about what happened, whose information may have been exposed, what will be done to protect them going forward," said one campaigner.
Mar 10, 2026
Critics of the Department of Government Efficiency are sounding the alarm after the Washington Post reported Tuesday that the Social Security Administration's inspector general is investigating a whistleblower complaint accusing a former DOGE staffer of trying to share information from SSA databases with his private employer.
The Post didn't name the former DOGE software engineer, the company, or the whistleblower. However, the reporters spoke with the whistleblower and other unnamed sources, and also reviewed the related complaint as well as a letter from the acting inspector general to top members of four congressional committees.
The ex-DOGE staffer allegedly told multiple colleagues that he possessed two key databases of sensitive information on over 500 million living and dead US citizens, "Numident" and the "Master Death File," and once he removed personal details, he wanted to plug the remaining data into his company's system.
The newspaper noted that "the complaint does not allege that the engineer was successful in uploading the data to the company's system," and "a lawyer who represents the former DOGE member told the Post he denied all alleged wrongdoing."
The reporting adds to a long list of concerns and criticism provoked by DOGE, which President Donald Trump launched shortly after taking office. Billionaire Elon Musk was the de facto leader of the government-gutting initiative until he departed the administration last May.
Responding to the report on Musk's social media platform X, Congressman John Larson (D-Conn.), a longtime defender of Social Security, declared that "we need a full congressional investigation and answers!"
DOGE was never about efficiency or saving $—it was about handing Social Security over to Wall Street, dismantling public services & making it impossible to hold corporations accountable. That's why federal workers have been sounding the alarm—and we won't stop fighting back. #wetookanoath
[image or embed]
— Federal Workers United (@fedworkersunited.bsky.social) March 10, 2026 at 4:54 PM
House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Ranking Member Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) announced that he is expanding his investigation of DOGE-related data leaks at the SSA over the allegations. He said in a statement that "the deeply disturbing whistleblower information obtained by the committee shows the Trump administration's callous disregard for the safety and security of Americans' most sensitive information."
"Not only has an ex-DOGE bro been accused of running around with the social security information of every American on a flash drive, he also may have the ability to edit and manipulate data at the Social Security Administration at will," Garcia continued. "This is dangerous and outrageous, and Oversight Committee Democrats will fight for transparency and accountability."
Richard Fiesta, executive director of the Alliance for Retired Americans, similarly said: "Allegations that a 'DOGE bro' may have removed highly sensitive Social Security data onto a thumb drive should set off alarm bells across the country. Social Security holds some of the most personal information Americans have, including Social Security numbers, birth and health records, and lifetime earnings histories. If these reports are accurate, it is a stunning, illegal data security breach."
"Americans deserve timely, honest answers about what happened, whose information may have been exposed, what will be done to protect them going forward," he argued. "Anyone involved must be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law. Congress and the Social Security inspector general must move quickly to get the facts and ensure that all involved in this reported data breach are punished."
Criminal theft of the American people's private Social Security data.
[image or embed]
— Social Security Works (@socialsecurityworks.org) March 10, 2026 at 2:51 PM
Public Citizen co-president Lisa Gilbert also demanded accountability. She said that "this massive, illegal, and horrific breach of Americans' most sensitive data has confirmed the very fears we've been warning about for over a year—that the Trump administration allowing DOGE to infiltrate our government without oversight created fertile ground for abuse, and in this case of an exceptionally egregious kind."
"These are the kinds of breaches that Public Citizen had previously sued the government to prevent," she added. "Federal and state officials must ensure the misuse of this data ends immediately and that all private copies of Social Security data are destroyed. Prosecutors should open a criminal investigation immediately and, if the evidence supports it, prosecute this case aggressively."
Keep ReadingShow Less
The Resistance Has Gray Hair
Seniors are mobilizing because our lives and the benefits we worked a lifetime to earn are under threat, and we refuse to sit by and watch.
Oct 23, 2025
The right-wing ecosystem has found itself a new punching bag: older Americans.
In recent days, Republican elected leadership has tried to minimize widespread anti-Trump protests as being driven by “rhythm-less boomers” and “elderly white hippies.” Vice President JD Vance previously dismissed protesters at Washington’s Union Station as “a bunch of old, primarily white people.”
Their insults have been amplified by the hyperactive right-wing media echo chamber, with a Fox News host casting this weekend’s No Kings protests that drew more than 7 million Americans into the streets as just “a boomer thing.”
Putting aside the obvious irony of MAGA Republicans trying to paint old people as feeble and out of touch, it’s easy to recognize their tactics for what they are—an attempt to delegitimize grassroots power. But as misguided and tactless as these criticisms might be, they’re not totally wrong.
When JD Vance remarked that the seniors protesting him have “never felt danger in their entire lives,” he was ignoring the terrifying reality that American seniors are facing at the hands of his administration.
From No Kings protests to Hands Off marches to Republican town halls—time and again, it’s been seniors and retirees who are showing up, speaking out, and holding the Trump administration accountable. But older Americans aren’t protesting because it’s “our thing”—we’re protesting because it is our duty: to ourselves, to our country, and to future generations of Americans.
We remember what younger generations never experienced firsthand. Together, we’ve lived through wars, political upheaval, recessions, and recoveries. We fought for and won greater civil rights for Black Americans and women, invested in public health and scientific discoveries that saved millions of lives from deadly diseases like polio and measles, and built an economy that was the envy of the world. We’ve seen how collective action can transform our communities and government for the better—and we’ve watched with horror as the Trump administration has erased decades of progress in just nine short months.
We know that change doesn’t happen, it’s made—and while we’d love to spend a little less of our time making protest signs, we’re mobilizing, organizing, and showing up because there is no other choice. When JD Vance remarked that the seniors protesting him have “never felt danger in their entire lives,” he was ignoring the terrifying reality that American seniors are facing at the hands of his administration.
Donald Trump and congressional Republicans continue to wage attacks on the vital programs that seniors rely on, peddling conspiracies about retirement benefits while letting slip their plans to privatize Social Security, gut the hard-fought law that was delivering lower drug prices for Americans with Medicare, and slashing Medicaid for millions of Americans to fund tax breaks for the rich. So while JD Vance thinks our protests are a game, we’re mobilizing because our lives and the benefits we worked a lifetime to earn are under threat, and we refuse to sit by and watch.
But we’re not just showing up for ourselves. We’re fighting for the future, standing arm-in-arm with generations of Americans rising up together against the cruelty coming out of the White House. All around us, freedom is under attack and the Constitution is being trampled. And it’s not just our democracy being jeopardized. As the Trump administration continues to reject science and cut critical research funding, our health is being put at risk too. We refuse to let our kids and grandkids inherit a country with fewer freedoms, less economic mobility, and more disease. We won’t hand them a more fragile democracy than their grandparents had, and we’ll continue to stand in solidarity with every American speaking truth to power.
But our fight isn’t limited to protesting. In North Carolina, seniors showed up at the state house to oppose maps aimed at erasing Black voting power. In California, Alliance for Retired Americans members have made more than 216,000 calls in support of Proposition 50 so far. Across the country, seniors marked the 90th anniversary of Social Security by staging Silver Sit-Ins calling on GOP lawmakers to protect it. These aren’t isolated events. They’re drops in a powerful wave building nationwide.
Instead of minimizing and mocking us, Republicans should see us for what we are: a blaring alarm signaling what’s coming in 2026 and beyond. And if history is any guide, in 2026 we will turn out to vote at higher rates than any other age group.
So let them sneer. Let them poke fun at our age, our rhythm, and our hair. While they’re busy cracking jokes, we’re going to keep on registering voters, packing town halls, and building coalitions that will outlast the chaos of this administration.
If the resistance has gray hair, so be it. The future belongs to those willing to fight for it, and seniors are the vanguard.
Keep ReadingShow Less
Defenders of Social Security Furious Over Trump Plan for Part-Time Commissioner
"Every American who has paid into Social Security should be outraged," said one Social Security advocate.
Oct 06, 2025
The Trump administration on Monday announced that Social Security Commissioner Frank Bisignano would also serve as a the chief executive officer at the Internal Revenue Service, in a move that was panned by defenders of the crucial anti-poverty Social Security program.
As The Wall Street Journal reported on Monday, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced that Bisignano would be filling the newly created position of CEO at the IRS, even as he retains his duties as Social Security commissioner.
According to the Journal, Bisignano "will report directly to Bessent, who will remain the formal head of the IRS as acting commissioner," and that he "will help implement the administration's vision for the IRS, which emphasizes upgraded technology and retreats from the heavier enforcement initiatives started under President Joe Biden."
Bisignano's appointment comes weeks after Billy Long, the previous IRS commissioner, got ousted from his job after working there for under two months.
Social Security advocates reacted to the move by condemning the administration for creating even more turmoil at the Social Security Administration (SSA).
Nancy Altman, president of Social Security Works, slammed the administration for giving Bisignano added duties when he was already "unqualified" to serve as Social Security commissioner.
"Never in Social Security’s 90-year history has a commissioner held a second job," she said. "Bisignano’s new role will leave a leadership vacuum at the top of the agency, especially since Trump hasn’t even nominated a deputy commissioner."
Altman further accused the administration of "allowing Social Security to rot through sabotage and neglect" by downgrading the program's top role to part-time.
Richard Fiesta, executive director for the Alliance for Retired Americans, similarly emphasized that running the SSA was "a full-time job," and said that the Trump administration had already caused "chaos" at the agency by slashing longtime staff members.
"Every American who has paid into Social Security should be outraged," he said. "Americans pay for the workers and administration of the agency through their Social Security withholdings in every paycheck. We expect a full-time commissioner for our money. Instead, we’re now getting a part-time commissioner drawing a full salary from our Social Security taxes."
Kathleen Romig, director of Social Security and disability policy at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, described Bisignano’s appointment as "alarming news" and said it raises "major concerns."
Specifically, Romig warned about potential security breaches of Americans' data at both the IRS and SSA.
"We know that from the beginning they’ve been trying to bulldoze protections of the sensitive data that each agency holds," she wrote in a post on Bluesky. "Early this year, acting heads of both SSA and Treasury were both pushed out over data access"
She then pointed to reports that the Department of Government Efficiency has been working on a "data lake" that uses sensitive information from both agencies "to track and surveil undocumented immigrants" residing in the US.
"This unprecedented arrangement cries out for meaningful oversight to ensure that each agency adequately serves the public, conflicts of interest are resolved, and our most sensitive data are protected," she said.
Keep ReadingShow Less
Most Popular