WASHINGTON, D.C. (TIP): Congressman Suozzi, on February 11, led a Ways and Means letter to Michelle King, Acting Commissioner of the Social Security Administration (SSA). The letter was co-signed by every Democratic Member of the Ways and Means Committee, including Ranking Member Neal (D-MA).
The letter expressed alarm about the recent access Elon Musk and the U.S. Department of Government Efficiency (“DOGE”) was able to gain to the Department of the Treasury’s payment systems, and conveyed further concern about reports that DOGE plans to turn its attention to the SSA.
“Social Security has been the bedrock promise of economic security in our nation for the last century,” the Members wrote. “After a lifetime of work or in life’s most precarious moments, it provides benefits to approximately 70 million people across the United States, including seniors, survivors, and people with disabilities.”
The SSA has access to Americans’ most personal information, including banking information, home addresses, disability status, medical conditions, if a parent or spouse has died, and Social Security numbers themselves.
The letter also requests Commissioner King respond to several questions regarding the security of Americans’ Social Security information within 72 hours. These inquiries include an assessment of potential risks to information, whether or not DOGE has requested access to SSA’s systems, and what kind of security checks are currently in place.
“We will not stand by and allow the sensitive personal information of our nation’s Social Security beneficiaries to be politicized or bought and sold to the highest bidder, or to allow any harm to their Social Security benefits,” the Members continued. “The stakes are too high and the consequences too grave.”
“My office alone has received more than 1,000 calls from constituents who are afraid Elon Musk and his DOGE team of college-aged kids have unfettered access to their private information,” said Suozzi. “No one, including DOGE, should be ransacking the confidential information of private citizens, whether that information relates to their taxes, their healthcare, their social security status, or anything else.”