White House to Oversight Dem: Trump Will 'Protect' SSA Data
President Donald Trump will "always protect social security, and every recipient will continue to receive their benefits," the White House said Friday in response to a House Democrat probing the Department of Government Efficiency's data handling at federal agencies.
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House Oversight Committee ranking member Gerry Connolly, D-Va., in a Thursday letter requested a Social Security Administration inspector general audit of DOGE activity at SSA. Whistleblower testimony suggests DOGE is building a “massive” database using input from multiple agencies, including the IRS and Department of Health and Human Services. The testimony and public reporting indicate there’s “chaos at SSA." He highlighted “three primary concerns,” including a claim that DOGE is “engaged in an unprecedented effort to build a massive database."
Changes to SSA IT infrastructure and a reported plan to overhaul those systems have created uncertainty at the agency and for SSA beneficiaries, he said. Connolly requested the IG analyze recent staffing changes at SSA and determine whether the agency is protecting sensitive data under the Privacy Act and other laws.