President Trump handed the keys to the people's government to his biggest campaign donor. Now, Elon Musk is using DOGE to infiltrate government agencies, execute mass illegal firings, abolish lifesaving programs, creep on Americans' most sensitive data, and even undermine Social Security to set the stage for Republican cuts. The Trump Administration and Republicans have tried to shield DOGE from transparency and accountability as it carries out President Trump and Musk's bidding from the shadows — but this cannot continue.
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House Democrats are leading the fight to bring DOGE out of the darkness and make sure the American people can hold President Trump and Elon Musk accountable for the pain, chaos, and corruption they are leaving in the wake of Elon's chainsaw.
Oversight Democrats have initiated more than 150 investigations and letters of inquiry, filed a three-part FOIA request, and introduced two formal House Resolutions of Inquiry. These include more than 1,000 requests for information and documentation directed at the Trump Administration, Elon Musk, and DOGE on issues related to national security, the illegal termination of federal employees, the unlawful and wholesale dismantlement of federal agencies, and rampant conflicts of interest and corruption.
Democrats have built a strong coalition of stakeholders both in and out of government to investigate, litigate, and terminate the dangerous and unlawful abuses of DOGE and the Trump-Musk Administration. We are forcing Co-Presidents Trump and Musk into retreat on several fronts:
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- Ranking Member Connolly led Oversight Democrats in sending a letter to White House Counsel David Warrington requesting documents and information regarding Elon Musk's conflicts of interest, including his financial disclosure.
- Ranking Member Connolly: “In an unprecedented arrangement, President Donald Trump has bestowed expansive and unlawful authority to Mr. Musk, an unelected billionaire. Mr. Musk is redirecting billions of taxpayer dollars to fund his own financial interests while slashing federal employees, programs, and services on which all Americans depend. Mr. Musk also remains in charge of a sprawling private-sector business empire that continues to rely on billions of dollars in government funding and has been charged with managing his own conflicts of interest. The Trump Administration has failed to make public Mr. Musk's financial disclosure filings, hiding the true extent of his conflicts from the public.”
April 30, 2025: 100 Days of Corruption: Oversight Democrats Highlight 100 Conflicts of Interest as President Trump Clears the Path for Corruption
- To mark the 100th day of President Trump's second term, Ranking Member Connolly released a (non-exhaustive) list of one hundred conflicts of interest—from crypto schemes to federal handouts to his billionaire buddy Elon Musk—all just within its first 100 days.
- Ranking Member Connolly: “Selling access and influence is the defining feature of the Trump White House, and this President has spent these first 100 days clearing a path for corruption and letting big corporations, his fellow felons, and billionaire buddies know that the Trump White House is open for business—for a price. … Meanwhile, the Trump Administration is gutting vital government programs and services, stripping Americans of their health care and benefits, and raising families' cost of living—all while gifting billionaires another tax giveaway.”
April 30, 2025: On the 100th Day of The Trump-Musk Administration, Ranking Member Connolly Demands Compliance with 100 Committee Investigations
- Ranking Member Connolly sent more than 100 letters to recipients across the Trump-Musk Administration demanding compliance with ongoing investigations by Committee Democrats.
- Ranking Member Connolly: “The Trump-Musk Administration has spent 100 days in hiding, 100 days working for billionaires while hard-working families struggle to make ends meet in Trump's chaotic and expensive economy, 100 days inviting corruption, and 100 days dismantling decades of progress on everything from vaccination policies and food safety to consumer protection and clean air and water. While Trump and Elon Musk launched attack after attack on our Nation's public servants, life-saving programs, and policies that protect Americans and keep families safe and healthy, Committee Democrats have only strengthened our resolve in our fight to push back against this tyranny in the courts, in Congress, and in communities nationwide.”
- Ranking Member Connolly sent a letter to Department of Labor (DOL) Acting Inspector General Luiz A. Santos and National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) Inspector General Ruth Blevins, demanding they immediately investigate the work Elon Musk's DOGE team may have performed at their organizations, including any and all attempts to exfiltrate nonpublic data from NLRB and DOL and any attempts to cover up their activities.
- Ranking Member Connolly: “According to NPR and whistleblower disclosures obtained by Committee Democrats, individuals associated with DOGE have attempted to exfiltrate and alter data while also using high-level systems access to remove sensitive information—quite possibly including corporate secrets and details of union activities. I also understand that these individuals have attempted to conceal their activities, obstruct oversight, and shield themselves from accountability.”
- Rep. Randall and Ranking Member Connolly sent a letter to the Department of Transportation's (DOT) Designated Ethics Official, Judith S. Kaleta, requesting documents, information, and answers as to how DOT is ensuring Elon Musk is not exploiting the agency to enrich himself in violation of federal ethics rules.
- Rep. Randall and Ranking Member Connolly: “Mr. Musk is redirecting billions of taxpayer dollars to fund his own financial interests while slashing federal government employees, programs, and services. Mr. Musk remains in charge of a sprawling private sector business empire that continues to rely on billions of dollars in government funding and has been charged with managing his own conflicts of interest. This arrangement is corrupt on its face and threatens accountable, democratic governance.”
- Rep. Lynch and Ranking Member Connolly sent a letter to Department of Defense (DOD) Acting General Counsel Charles L. Young III requesting documents, information, and answers as to how DOD is ensuring Elon Musk is not using his position as a Special Government Employee (SGE) to enrich himself or his companies in violation of federal ethics rules.
- Rep. Lynch and Ranking Member Connolly: “At DOD, where Mr. Musk's companies have benefitted from contracts, been under investigation, and are angling for vast amounts of new business, his control of DOD operations and defiance of recusal laws directly benefit his businesses. The known conflicts of interest presented by this arrangement are illegal and must be addressed immediately.”
- Vice Ranking Member Crockett and Ranking Member Connolly sent a letter to Department of Commerce Acting General Counsel John K. Guenther requesting documents, information, and answers as to how Commerce is ensuring Elon Musk is not exploiting Commerce to enrich himself in violation of federal ethics rules.
- Vice Ranking Member Crockett and Ranking Member Connolly: “At Commerce, where Mr. Musk's companies have received significant financial benefits and have the potential to receive vast amounts of new business, his defiance of recusal laws and control of Commerce's operations directly benefit his businesses. The known conflicts of interest presented by this arrangement are illegal and must be addressed immediately.”
April 7, 2025: Ranking Members Brown and Connolly Launch Investigation Into White House's Use of Elon Musk's Starlink
- Ranking Members Brown and Connolly sent a letter to White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, General Services Administration (GSA) Acting Administrator Stephen Ehikian, and White House Director of Office Administration Joshua Fisher requesting documents and information as to how GSA is ensuring that any new usage of Starlink technologies is secure and will not provide financial benefits or special access to Elon Musk in violation of federal ethics rules.
- Ranking Members Brown and Connolly: “Given Elon Musk's dual role as the owner of Starlink and the apparent leader of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) in the Trump Administration, the expanded use of Starlink across the federal government raises significant ethical, security, and regulatory implications that warrant immediate attention.”
April 7, 2025: Ranking Members Frost and Connolly Launch Investigation Into Elon Musk's Rampant Conflicts of Interest at NASA
- Ranking Members Frost and Connolly sent a letter to NASA Chief Legal Officer Iris Lan requesting documents, information, and answers as to how NASA is ensuring Elon Musk is not exploiting NASA to enrich himself and his companies in violation of federal ethics rules.
- Ranking Members Frost and Connolly: “At NASA, where Mr. Musk has both benefited from significant contracts and has the potential to receive vast amounts of new business, his defiance of recusal laws and control of operations directly benefit his businesses. The known conflicts of interest presented by this arrangement … are illegal and must be addressed immediately.”
March 20, 2025: Ranking Member Connolly Launches Investigation Into Commerce Secretary's Unlawful Promotion of Plummeting Tesla Stock on Live Television
- Ranking Member Connolly sent a letter to U.S. Department of Commerce Acting General Counsel John K. Guenther regarding Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick's appearance on Fox News in which he unlawfully and shamefully peddled Tesla stock to viewers, encouraging them to enrich Elon Musk by buying his struggling stock. In his letter, Ranking Member Connolly highlighted that the Trump Administration has a long history of flouting ethical practices and using their offices and/or taxpayer resources to enrich the President's inner circle, pointing to a 2017 incident in which Counselor to the President Kellyanne Conway told Americans to “go buy Ivanka's stuff.” Following a letter from Oversight Republicans, the Office of Government Ethics determined that “there is strong reason to believe that Ms. Conway has violated the Standards of Conduct [prohibiting employees from misusing their official positions] and that disciplinary action is warranted.”
- Ranking Member Connolly: “Secretary Lutnick's actions bear striking similarities to Ms. Conway's. The present circumstances differ in that Tesla is owned by an individual who has been given license by the President to slash and burn his way through the federal government, indiscriminately and lawlessly terminating federal workers and eliminating the services they provide to the American people, while lining his own pockets with billions of taxpayer dollars. These ongoing violations of law require a response befitting of the level abuse to deter further lawlessness and to ensure the American people that members of this Administration seek to serve all people rather than to enrich a select few.”
March 20, 2025: Oversight Democrats Expose Trump Administration for Undermining FOIA and Preventing Transparency
- Ranking Member Connolly sent letters to 24 federal agencies exposing the Trump Administration for eliminating staff responsible for facilitating Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests and jeopardizing the American people's right to access federal agency information.
- Ranking Member Connolly: “FOIA requests on DOGE range from information requests regarding the basic structure, budget, and leadership of the organization to whether DOGE employees with access to sensitive or classified government networks have the requisite security clearances and whether these clearances were granted following national security protocol. This Administration's efforts to dismantle agencies, impound congressionally appropriated funds, and unlawfully terminate civil servants have been rapid and capricious. Now more than ever, maintaining transparency about the operations of government agencies and officials is crucial to enforcing accountability for ongoing abuses of power.”
- Ranking Member Connolly sent a letter to Amy Gleason, the supposed “Acting Administrator” of DOGE, calling for much-needed transparency into the DOGE workforce, their potential conflicts of interest, and possible ethics violations.
- Ranking Member Connolly: “DOGE is making sweeping changes all while operating in secret, with no accountability, and in ways that the courts have repeatedly found to be unlawful. DOGE is not only concealing its work, but also hiding from the American people who is performing this work and, critically, what conflicts of interest they may have. Recent reporting indicates that members of the DOGE team have continued to work in lucrative private sector positions, including with companies that contract with the federal government, while serving in their government roles. This presents unprecedented conflicts of interest that jeopardize the ethical use of taxpayer funds and further erode Americans' faith in their government.”
March 18, 2025: In FOIA Request Filing, Ranking Members Connolly and Raskin Demand DOGE Stop Lying and Come Clean
- Ranking Member Connolly and Ranking Member Raskin filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request demanding DOGE stop lying to the American people and start providing clear answers about its operations.
- Ranking Members Connolly & Raskin: “By filing these FOIA requests, which every American has the right to make in order to demand transparency from our government, we demand to know about DOGE's leadership structure, legal authority, and potential conflicts of interest; its involvement with the government-wide firing of personnel; and its treatment of sensitive data and AI. The President, Mr. Musk, and DOGE can and will be held accountable to the American people, the original and ultimate source of all sovereign power in the United States of America.”
March 12, 2025: Ranking Member Connolly Sounds the Alarm on Ethics Violations After President Trump and White House Employees Hawk Elon Musk's Cars
- Ranking Member Connolly sent a letter to Mr. David Warrington, Counsel to the President, requesting a full accounting of any executive branch employees, special or otherwise, that assisted President Trump in turning the South Lawn of the White House into “a temporary Tesla showroom in a conspicuous favor to his adviser Elon Musk, the billionaire CEO of the car company.”
- Ranking Member Connolly: “Americans are struggling to afford groceries, childcare, and housing... And they have been told by the President to prepare for a recession. President Trump's solution to the mounting economic crises is a car ad that he hoped would boost the stock price of Tesla, a company headed by his one of his biggest campaign donors who is also a federal employee, Elon Musk.”
March 4, 2025: “Rampant and Endless”—Ranking Member Connolly Introduces Resolution of Inquiry Into Elon Musk's Conflicts of Interest
- Ranking Member Connolly led Committee Democrats in introducing a Resolution of Inquiry to investigate Elon Musk's extensive conflicts of interest and entrenched corruption within the Trump Administration.
- Ranking Member Connolly: “Elon Musk is running cabinet meetings, holding court in the Oval Office, and ripping through government agencies and sensitive databases—but the White House refuses to come clean about this unelected billionaire's rampant and endless conflicts of interest. Republicans are either too scared to conduct any real oversight of Musk's actions, or they support this oligarch's unlawful assault on the federal workforce and his attacks on Social Security as he divvies up cushy government contracts between his companies. This resolution of inquiry will finally get the American people the answers they deserve and bring DOGE out from the shadows.”
February 20, 2025: Ranking Member Connolly Launches Investigation into Elon Musk's Role After White House Official States Musk Is Not a Part of DOGE
- Ranking Member Connolly sent a letter to President Trump requesting substantive documentation regarding Elon Musk's formal role within the Trump Administration following the President's direct contradiction of a sworn statement by a White House official that Mr. Musk is not a part of the U.S. DOGE Service.
- Ranking Member Connolly: “This contradiction raises significant concerns that either you are lying about Mr. Musk's role or Mr. Fisher perjured himself—a criminal offense that can lead to up to 5 years in prison.”
February 13, 2025: Subcommittee Democrats Call Out Elon Musk and DOGE's Efforts to Clear a Path for Corruption
- Rep. Stansbury, Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency, led Subcommittee Democrats in condemning DOGE's campaign to dismantle the federal government, undermine checks and balances, and put the interest of billionaires before the American people.
- Rep. Greg Casar brought attention to the Trump Administration's efforts to protect Elon Musk, highlighting that “at least 5 inspectors general that were looking into Elon Musk's companies were fired by the Trump-Musk Administration. These inspectors general who were independent, protected by law, they are the people that find the waste, fraud, and abuse, and found many of the cases of waste, fraud, and abuse that have been brought up today, were fired because they were looking into Elon Musk.”?
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May 1, 2025: Ranking Member Connolly, Rep. Trahan Demand Answers on DOGE's Alleged Privacy Act Violations and Data Risks at NLRB
- Ranking Member Connolly and Rep. Trahan demanded information from the National Labor Relations Board regarding potential violations of federal privacy laws by Elon Musk's DOGE staffers at the National Labor Relations Board.
- Ranking Member Connolly and Rep. Trahan: “We write with an urgent request for information related to the disclosure by a National Labor Relations Board whistleblower that agency officials possibly affiliated with the Department of Government Efficiency may have illegally exfiltrated multiple gigabytes of sensitive data, including the personal information of Americans who reported unfair labor practices. We are deeply concerned that these actions may constitute violations of the Privacy Act of 1974, which can carry criminal penalties, and the Federal Information Security Modernization Act, which requires agency heads to notify Congress of major data breaches.”
- Ranking Member Connolly led Committee Democrats in sending letters to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, White House Chief of Staff Susan Wiles, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, and FBI Director Kash Patel demanding information about Elon Musk's ties to foreign governments like China and Russia, Musk's growing treasure chest of government contracts awarded to his companies, the history of his drug use, and potential liabilities that would make him vulnerable to coercion and corruption.
- Ranking Member Connolly: “Given the vast and growing number of government contracts awarded to Mr. Musk and his companies, including from the Department of Defense (DOD), General Services Administration (GSA), and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)—as well as the multiple conflicts of interest arising from them—the Democratic Members of the Committee are interested in whether he has fully disclosed all connections, interactions, payments, and business with foreign governments and officials.”
April 1, 2025: DOGE Subcommittee Ranking Member Stansbury Introduces Resolution of Inquiry into DOGE's Unsanctioned Use of Government Data and AI
- Ranking Member Stansbury led Committee Democrats in introducing a Resolution of Inquiry to investigate DOGE's unsanctioned use of government data and artificial intelligence (AI) and its impact on American privacy and national security.
- Ranking Member Stansbury: “The American people demand to know why Elon Musk and DOGE are hacking our private and sensitive data and what they are doing with it. … It is our duty to fight for answers and get to the bottom of what exactly DOGE and Musk are doing with our data.”
March 28, 2025: Ranking Member Connolly and Senator Kaine Rebuke DOGE's Plans to Illegally Dissolve USAID
- Ranking Member Connolly and Senator Kaine issued a statement after the State Department officially notified Congress of its plans to illegally dissolve the U.S. Agency for International Development, fire all USAID employees, and absorb the agency into the State Department.
- Ranking Member Connolly and Kaine: “Let us be clear—eliminating USAID is illegal and completely outside the bounds of Trump's authority. If he wants to dismantle or fold USAID into another agency and fire all USAID personnel he must come to Congress, not Elon Musk. The Trump-Musk Administration has sacrificed America's global leadership at the altar of their greed and lies and children will starve, disease will spread, populations will sink further into poverty, and human rights will be threatened. Countries in need will be forced to look to China and America's adversaries for help, further weakening America and undermining our standing. All because this President and his billionaire oligarch want to use our humanitarian budget to subsidize tax giveaways to billionaires. This is an act of weakness and retreat, and we will continue to fight this in the courts, in Congress, and with the American people.”
March 27, 2025: Task Force Ranking Member Robert Garcia Introduces Resolution of Inquiry to Find Out if DOGE Has Security Clearance
- Ranking Member Robert Garcia led Committee Democrats in introducing a Resolution of Inquiry to investigate whether Elon Musk and DOGE affiliates actually have security clearances.
- Ranking Member Garcia: “The Trump Administration's mishandling of our nation's secrets is putting American lives at risk. But Elon Musk and his DOGE bros may be doing even more damage. Unvetted, unqualified, unelected individuals are accessing your personal data and critical federal systems. Many have serious red flags and conflicts of interest. Our committee needs to see the vetting and background materials for Elon and his aides so that we can take action to protect your privacy and national security”
- Ranking Members Connolly and Subramanyam sent letters to seven U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) contractors and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) requesting information on how DOGE's dismantling of USAID and freeze on federal foreign assistance will jeopardize global health and national security—if it has not already.
- Ranking Members Connolly & Subramanyam: “To better understand the threats exacerbated by this effort, we are seeking additional information on how the dismantling of USAID will jeopardize global health and destabilize developing nations, as well as place our national security at risk...China's attempts to replace USAID with its own assistance programs pose a tremendous global security risk as it seeks to expand its diplomatic and economic influence and undermine U.S. interests around the world.”
- Ranking Member Connolly sent letters to24 federal agencies requesting documentation that any potential use of artificial intelligence (AI) at their agencies complies with federal laws, protects Americans' sensitive and private data, and does not financially benefit Elon Musk.
- Ranking Member Connolly: “I write with serious concerns about the use of unapproved, third-party artificial intelligence (AI) software employed by members of the U.S. DOGE Service (DOGE) at federal agencies. The American people entrust the federal government with sensitive personal information related to their health, finances, and other biographical information on the basis that this information will not be disclosed or improperly used without their consent.”
- Ranking Members Connolly, Krishnamoorthi, and Frost and Rep. Bell sent letters to Russell Vought, Acting Director of the CFPB, Andrew Ferguson, Chairman of FTC, and Pamela J. Bondi, Attorney General of the DOJ, urging the agencies to uphold their duty to protect American consumers from entities that may prey on them financially, including companies that price gouge and engage in anticompetitive behavior to raise prices on essential goods and services.
- The Administration's efforts to gut and defang consumer protection enforcement government-wide clears the path for corporate corruption and skyrocketing costs at the expense of hardworking Americans and their families.
March 10, 2025: OPM Inspector General Assessing Risks to Agency IT Systems after Oversight Democrats Raise Serious Cybersecurity and Privacy Concerns about DOGE
- The OPM Deputy Inspector General Vint informed the Committee that the OPM Office of the Inspector General will incorporate into existing work topics of investigation outlined in a February 6th letter from Committee Democrats. That letter raised concerns about DOGE exposing agency systems to potential cybersecurity threats and privacy violations.
- Ranking Member Connolly: “Inspectors General must have the independence to carry out their mission free from partisan pressure and threat. That is the only way these government watchdogs can conduct their important work on behalf of the American people. The work of the Deputy Inspector General and the OPM Office of Inspector General must be allowed to proceed unimpeded.”
- Rep. Melanie Stansbury, Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency, led Subcommittee Democrats in condemning President Trump and Elon Musk for illegally dismantling USAID and undermining global democracy, freedom, and U.S. national security by aligning with—and ceding power to—Russia and China. Ahead of the hearing, Ranking Member Stansbury joined Ranking Members Connolly and Subramanyam in sending letters to current and former Assistant and Deputy Administrators at USAID, requesting information on the repercussions of dismantling the agency and how President Trump and Musk's shortsighted actions will jeopardize global health and destabilize nations.
- Ranking Member Stansbury: “Over the last five years, USAID has funded international aid to 212 countries around the world to promote international peace and security to help maintain stability and ensure that we are making good on America's promises. These investments are a fraction of the cost of weapons and defense, and the U.S. in the process is able to help promote national security, stop global pandemics, prevent hunger and mass migrations, and make the world and the United States a safer place.”
February 26, 2025: At Hearing, Nonpartisan U.S. Comptroller General Confirms Musk's DOGE is Increasing National Risk and Undermining Services to Americans
- At a hearing on how Congress can improve government and address the risks outlined in the GAO 2025 High Risk List, Ranking Member Connolly led Democrats in calling out the Trump-Musk Administration for exacerbating GAO's identified risks with anti-constitutional power grabs, and Republicans for their devastating cuts that will undermine vital programs and services to subsidize massive tax breaks for the rich.
- Ranking Member Connolly: “When we talk about efficiency and trying to achieve results for the American people, you don't do it by taking a wrecking ball to the entire structure and hope you get the bad with the good. You, in fact, take out a scalpel, and you, and you cut out the excess, you cut out the waste and you do it in a thoughtful and reflective manner.”
February 25, 2025: Ranking Members Connolly, Brown, Stansbury Call on President Trump to Cease All DOGE Activities that Endanger America's Cybersecurity
- Ranking Members Connolly, Brown, and Stansbury sent a letter to President Trump urging his administration to cease all DOGE activities that create serious cybersecurity vulnerabilities, expose government networks to cyberattacks, and risk disclosure of sensitive information.
- The Ranking Members wrote: “This reckless disregard of critical cybersecurity practices creates opportunities for hostile actors to access sensitive information. We urge your Administration to cease all DOGE activities that create serious cybersecurity vulnerabilities, expose government networks to cyberattacks, and risk disclosures of sensitive and personal information.”
February 7, 2025: Ranking Members Connolly and Subramanyam Launch Probe into DOGE Efforts to Purge USAID and Freeze Foreign Aid
- Ranking Members Connolly and Subramanyam urged the Administration to revoke the January 20, 2025, Executive Order titled “Reevaluating and Realigning United States Foreign Aid,” and restore the functions, leadership, and employees of USAID.
- Ranking Members Connolly & Subramanyam: “The potential repercussions to global humanitarian and development assistance caused by the sudden stoppage of U.S. foreign aid are dire. Foreign assistance makes investments abroad that keep Americans safe at home. Global health operations prevent outbreaks of disease. Development programs address the roots causes of terrorism. In the wake of the Trump Administration's unilateral global retreat on foreign aid, our adversaries like China and Russia will step in to fill the vacuum.”
February 6, 2025: Ranking Members Connolly, Brown, and Rep. Ansari, Lead Oversight Democrats to Urge Government Watchdogs to Investigate Potential Threats to National Security
- The Members sent a letter to Deputy Inspectors General Sciurba, Vint, Erickson, Shoemaker, and Rocque and Inspector General Martin, expressing urgent concerns regarding recent reports that unauthorized individuals associated with Elon Musk or the “DOGE” effort have gained access to protected government networks and sensitive data at Treasury, GSA, OPM, and USAID. This letter advances Oversight Democrats' work to protect Americans' safety, security, and personal data by ensuring the Trump Administration and “DOGE” are adhering to critical cybersecurity and privacy laws.
- The Members wrote: “Offices of Inspectors General are more important than ever. Congress and the American people rely on you to remain dogged and steadfast in your pursuit of truth without regard to political affiliation. As such, we urge you to fulfill your duties as non-partisan watchdogs, appropriately issue management alerts as relevant, and assess the potential security breaches across the federal government due to Mr. Musk and his teams' actions.”
February 4, 2025: Ranking Members Demand Information on DOGE Access to Sensitive and Classified Information
- Ranking Members Connolly, Himes, Meeks, Smith, Raskin, Neal, and Waters wrote a letter to President Donald Trump requesting information on reported attempts by the “Department of Government Efficiency,” or “DOGE” task force to access classified and sensitive information without proper clearance, and expressing concerns that their behavior could pose enormous risks to our national security.
- The Ranking Members wrote, “The events at USAID are particularly troubling, but they are not an isolated issue. The Executive Order empowering DOGE appears to envision and authorize DOGE ‘teams' at all Executive Branch agencies, to include Department of Defense, State Department, Department of Justice, and the Intelligence Community. These agencies all hold large volumes of classified information, and bypassing established safeguards to protect such information could irreparably damage national security.”
February 4, 2025: Ranking Members Connolly and Brown Request Answers From OPM on Musk's Private Server
- Ranking Members Connolly and Brown sent a letter to Acting Director Charles Ezell of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) expressing their concern regarding numerous reports that Elon Musk and his associates ignored cybersecurity and privacy protections and introduced vulnerabilities into information technology systems in their attempt to send their potentially illegal “Fork in the Road” email to federal workers.
- Ranking Members Connolly & Brown: “At best, the Trump Administration's actions at OPM to date demonstrate gross negligence, severe incompetence, and a chaotic disregard for the security of our government data and the countless services it enables our agencies to provide to the public. At worst, we fear that Trump Administration officials know full well that their actions threaten to break our government and put our citizens at risk of foreign adversaries like China and Russia gaining access to our sensitive data.”
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May 1, 2025: Ranking Member Connolly Opposes OPM's Scheme to Purge and Politicize the Federal Workforce
- Ranking Member Connolly sent a letter to Acting Office of Personnel Management Director Charles Ezell opposing OPM's plan to strip civil servants of protections to escalate the Administration's political purge of the civil service.
- Ranking Member Connolly: “The Administration's proposed rule has bipartisan opposition in Congress, because of the devastation it would inflict on the expertise and performance of our federal workforce, which would in turn hurt our constituents and the life-saving services they need and deserve. I strongly urge the Administration to rescind the proposed rule and cease its political assault on our federal workforce.”
April 24, 2025: Oversight Democrats Demand Answers After CDC Whistleblower Exposes Trump Administration Eliminated Agency's Entire FOIA Office
- Ranking Member Connolly sent a letter to CDC Acting Director Susan Monarez demanding answers after the Committee was provided with reports of the elimination of all staff responsible for responding to FOIA requests at the CDC.
- Ranking Member Connolly: “The elimination of staff responsible for facilitating FOIA strongly implies an effort by the Administration to prevent the public from obtaining information about their government that they are entitled to request. … These layoffs and reductions in CDC's capacity come at a time when communities across the United States are struggling to manage infectious disease outbreaks. Now more than ever, maintaining transparency about the operations of the broader HHS—and CDC in particular—is crucial to understanding the government's capacity to respond to such crises.”
- After obtaining multiple credible and disturbing whistleblower reports that DOGE is knowingly jeopardizing Social Security operations, putting Americans' Social Security benefits at risk of delay, and compiling a “master database” of Americans' most sensitive data that risks exposure and exfiltration, Ranking Member Connolly sent a letter demanding an immediate investigation to stop further damage to the agency and prevent a disruption in benefits payments and/or massive and unprecedented data breach stemming directly from DOGE's actions.
- Ranking Member Connolly: “The whistleblower information obtained by the Committee, combined with public reporting, paints a picture of chaos at SSA as DOGE is rapidly, haphazardly, and unlawfully working to implement changes that could disrupt Social Security payments and expose Americans' sensitive data. I am providing this information to your office for immediate investigation. It is my hope that shedding sunlight on the opaque operations of DOGE at SSA will stop further damage to the agency and prevent a potentially calamitous disruption to the benefit payments that serve as a lifeline for more than 70 million Americans.”
- Ranking Members Connolly and Neal sent a letter to Acting Social Security Commissioner Leland Dudek demanding SSA immediately abandon plans to make it more difficult for Social Security beneficiaries and applicants to access their hard-earned benefits, including using Elon Musk's social media platform X to communicate with the public and scrapping longtime identity verification practices.
- Ranking Members Connolly and Neal: “We demand that you immediately halt this outrageous assault, and provide the information necessary for our Committees to investigate the harm inflicted on the American people. … The earned benefits help American families put food on the table, pay for rent, heat their homes, cover medical bills, and more. Social Security's importance to the American people and its approximately 70 million beneficiaries cannot be overstated.”
- Ranking Member Connolly, Vice Ranking Member Crockett, and Ranking Member Stansbury sent a letter to Acting GSA Administrator Stephen Ehikian raising concerns about the Trump-Musk Administration's plan to sell off federal property and valuable real estate assets without regard for the law or agencies' ability to effectively serve the American people.
- Ranking Member Connolly, Vice Ranking Member Crockett, and Ranking Member Stansbury: “The actions GSA has taken since January 20, 2025, have created mass confusion across federal, state, and local governments and have served as a perfect example of the self-defeating, self-enriching, DOGE-inspired approach to the dismantlement of our government that typifies many of the major initiatives of the Trump Administration.”
- Committee Democrats denounced the Trump Administration's purge of thousands of Food and Drug Administration (FDA) workers and questioned witnesses on the wide range of ways such cuts endanger the health and safety of all Americans.
- In response to a question from Rep. Subramanyam about whether we can fix the damage done by the Trump Administration to FDA, Dr. Kessler responded: “We've lost 1,000 person-years of expertise in a few weeks. I don't think—I mean, if we let this go on for much longer—I mean, I think it's a matter of weeks. … This may not be fixable. This may affect us for decades.”
April 8, 2025: Oversight Democrats Urge HHS Secretary RFK Jr. to Halt Purge of FDA Staff, Warn of Increased Outbreaks of Contaminated Food
- Ranking Members Connolly, Krishnamoorthi, and Subramanyam sent a letter to HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., urging him to halt his purge of FDA staff and calling attention to the rising threat of contaminated food and foodborne illness as a result of the Trump-Musk Administration's attacks on FDA staff and funding.
- Ranking Members Connolly, Krishnamoorthi, and Subramanyam: “Staff reductions like those championed by President Donald Trump and Elon Musk will undermine FDA's ability to ensure the safety of our nation's food supply. … We urge you to halt all further cuts to FDA personnel. FDA workers protect the safety of our food and ensure that companies do not profit from lax oversight at the expense of American consumers.”
April 4, 2025: Ranking Members Krishnamoorthi and Connolly Request Plan on How Dept. of Education Will Continue to Serve Families Across America
- Ranking Members Connolly and Krishnamoorthi sent a letter to Secretary of Education Linda McMahon requesting information on how the Department plans to meet its congressionally mandated obligations despite President Trump's Executive Order to illegally dismantle the agency.
- Ranking Members Connolly and Krishnamoorthi: “We are concerned that critical programs operated by the Department, including federal student loans and protections for students with disabilities will be seriously disrupted. Notably, many of the agencies to which the Trump Administration wants to assign responsibilities that currently fall under the Department have announced historic cuts to their workforce in recent weeks. If these cuts are implemented, it is doubtful that these agencies will have the capacity to take on major responsibilities currently housed within the Department of Education.”
- Ranking Members Connolly and Mfume sent a letter to the U.S. Postal Service's Board of Governors, escalating Congress's concerns that DOGE is attempting to actively undermine the stability and integrity of the Postal Service.
- Ranking Members Connolly and Mfume: “We write regarding significant recent developments within the U.S. Postal Service (Postal Service) that call into question this public institution's stability, integrity, and independence. These concerns include repeated calls by President Trump and senior public officials to reorganize the Postal Service, a back-room agreement with Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) representatives, and the sudden resignation of Postmaster General Louis DeJoy.”
March 27, 2025: While Republicans Fret Over Self-Image, Subcommittee Democrats Call Out GOP Attacks on Children's Programs and Free Speech
- Rep. Lynch led Committee Democrats in defending Mr. Rogers and early childhood education from Trump and Musk attacks while dismissing pathetic Republican grievances about their coverage in the free press.
- Rep. Lynch: “I'm sad to see that this once proud committee, the principle investigative committee in the House of Representatives, has now stooped to the lowest levels of partisanship and political theater to hold a hearing to go after the likes of Elmo and Cookie Monster and Arthur the Aardvark. All for the unforgivable sin of teaching the alphabet to low-income families—children— and providing accessible local news and programming.”
March 25, 2025: Democratic Leaders Demand Reversal of Unlawful EEOC Commissioner Firings
- Ranking Members Connolly, Scott, and Raskin demanded the immediate reinstatement of Commissioners Charlotte Burrows and Jocelyn Samuels following their unlawful and unprecedented termination from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
- Ranking Members Connolly, Scott, and Raskin: “Their firings undermine and weaken our democracy, puts workers at risk, and intrude on Congress's authority in Article I of the U.S. Constitution. We call for their immediate reinstatement to restore EEOC's ability to perform its vital function for American workers.”
March 20, 2025: Ranking Members Connolly and Scott Call for an Immediate Halt to the Illegal Dismantling of ED
- Ranking Members Connolly and Scott sent a letter to the Secretary of Education Linda McMahon urging the Department of Education to put the wellbeing of American families and students ahead of tax cuts for billionaires and halt the illegal shutdown of the Department, reinstate all unlawfully terminated employees, and protect education access before irreparable harm comes to our students, schools, and communities.
- Ranking Members Connolly and Scott: “Today, President Trump issued an executive order unlawfully instructing you to dismantle the Department of Education, a process that you are already implementing – through, among other means, the so-called reduction in force announced on March 11, 2025 and earlier announced personnel changes that would terminate half of the Department's more than 4,100 employees. These illegally dismissed employees include individuals tasked with administering funding for programs serving students with disabilities, protecting students from discrimination, and overseeing federal financial aid... We urge you to reverse these short-sighted decisions before they cause any more damage to America's students, families, and educators”
March 18, 2025: Ranking Member Connolly Demands Postmaster General DeJoy Immediately Turn Over Information About His Backroom Deal with DOGE
- Ranking Member Connolly sent a letter to Postmaster General Louis DeJoy demanding a copy of the agreement the Postmaster General signed with DOGE, allowing Elon Musk to infiltrate the independent U.S. Postal Service, gain access to its data and systems, and make drastic cuts to the service.
- Ranking Member Connolly: “Congress and the American people have a right to know the full details of the agreement, the extent to which you have enabled DOGE to apply its chainsaw approach to America's most trusted institution, and how the actions of DOGE employees will undermine lifesaving services, expose sensitive taxpayer data, and contribute to other unlawful activity.”
- Ranking Members Connolly, Krishnamoorthi, and Mfume led Committee Democrats in sending a letter to Chairman James Comer demanding an immediate public hearing on the Trump Administration and DOGE's plans for the United States Postal Service.
- Oversight Democrats: “Since the Committee's most recent hearing on the USPS, the Trump Administration has reportedly explored privatizing the USPS, firing the bipartisan Postal Board of Governors, merging the USPS into the Department of Commerce, and is now subjecting the USPS, America's most trusted federal institution, to the chainsaw approach of Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). This broad assault on the independence of the USPS demands Congressional oversight, especially from the Committee with jurisdiction over the USPS.”
- Rep. Kweisi Mfume, Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Government Operations, led Subcommittee Democrats in condemning the Trump Administration and DOGE's efforts to make unsubstantiated claims of fraud to justify deeply unpopular cuts to Social Security and the vital services people across America depend on every day.
- Rep. Maxwell Alejandro Frost called out the Republican bait-and-switch in which they circulate unsubstantiated claims of fraud and use those fictions to justify cuts to the social safety net: “We've heard this constant lie from Elon Musk that tens of millions of dead people are getting Social Security paychecks. Claiming fraud in Social Security, I think, is one way that folks are going to try to justify cutting it, pocketing the benefits for billionaires, privatizing it … Musk is calling it a Ponzi scheme as an excuse to destroy it, in my opinion. Americans earn Social Security through years of hard work and it's a good investment … It's one of the most popular government services, and most people support more funding for Social Security, not less.”
- Ranking Member Connolly sent letters to the 24 CFO Act agencies requesting immediate clarification regarding the shadowy activities of DOGE teams within each agency and across the federal government.
- Ranking Member Connolly: “The actions of employees operating under the ‘DOGE' moniker have thus far been shielded from transparency and accountability, but this cannot continue. The American public has a right to know how Musk's DOGE teams are operating and how the actions of DOGE employees undermine lifesaving services, expose sensitive taxpayer data, and contribute to other unlawful activity.”
- Ranking Members Connolly and Mfume led Committee Democrats in introducing a Resolution of Inquiry to investigate the Trump-Musk Administration's unprecedented attacks on federal workers and their efforts to embed political loyalists willing to turn a blind eye to corruption and grift.
- Ranking Member Mfume: “Donald Trump and Elon Musk are destroying this country and unfortunately the Republican majority in Congress has been sitting by idly while they do it. Our Constitutional duty is to provide oversight of the executive branch and this Resolution of Inquiry is part of that work. Democrats in Congress are here to do the work, let's see if our Republican colleagues are ready to step up. It will be too late at some point and Americans in every part of the nation will feel the pain from the Trump-Musk bad decisions.”
March 3: Committee Democrats Tell OPM: Reinstate Unlawfully Terminated Employees Now!
- Oversight Democrats sent a letter to Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Acting Director Charles Ezell requesting documents and information regarding the Trump-Musk Administration's efforts to purge non-partisan, civil servants in probationary status and reinstate all whom were unlawfully terminated.
- Oversight Democrats wrote: “Indiscriminately firing thousands of these employees threatens the future of the nonpartisan federal workforce and our government's ability to deliver life-saving services to the American people. We strongly urge the Administration to reinstate all unlawfully terminated probationary status employees and cease plans to carry out further reductions in force (RIFs).”
February 24: More than 100 House Democrats Push Federal Agencies to Regain Order, Renounce Musk Chaos
- Ranking Member Connolly led more than 100 House Democrats in sending a letter to the heads of the 24 CFO Act federal agencies demanding they immediately clarify to their agencies that federal employees do not have to respond to Elon Musk's ill-conceived, reckless email and that nonresponse does not constitute resignation.
- The Members wrote: “The capricious dismissal threatened in Mr. Musk's post would be illegal and cannot be tolerated. We urge you to immediately inform federal workers at your agency that his missives do not constitute official orders and that federal employees should not interrupt their service to the public to respond to OPM's mass email. You must also make clear that Mr. Musk's threat of dismissal due to nonresponse to OPM's email is invalid.”
February 22: Ranking Member Connolly Demands OPM Withdraw Email Threat and Renounce Musk's Latest Attack on Public Servants
- Ranking Member Connolly sent a letter to Charles Ezell, Acting Director of the Office of Personnel Management, demanding a clarification that nonresponse to the “What did you do last week?” email that was sent to all federal workers today does not constitute resignation and a clarification that Elon Musk does not, in fact, speak for OPM.
- Ranking Member Connolly: “This threat is illegal, reckless, and yet another example of the cruel and arbitrary chaos Mr. Musk is inflicting on the people's government and its dedicated public servants. You must immediately clarify that federal employees' nonresponse to this ill-conceived, weekend email does not constitute resignation.”
- Ranking Member Connolly led Committee Democrats in calling out the Trump Administration for its unprecedented and widespread attacks on the federal workforce and the government programs and services Americans depend on for their safety and wellbeing.
- Rep. Lateefah Simon described what she saw in her district after President Trump froze federal funding last week: “Housing is on the line, as is childcare, as is Medicaid, as is Medicare. After this meeting, I will go and visit the president of a children's hospital. He's in my office right now and I went to go literally sit with the folks in the NICU last week. Care is in jeopardy. There is a heart transplant that is in jeopardy. A small child. I would like for us to look in the faces of that parent.”
February 5: Ranking Member Connolly Motions to Subpoena Elon Musk to Testify Before Oversight Committee
- Given concerning recent reports of Elon Musk's efforts to infiltrate and eviscerate government agencies, Ranking Member Connolly called for the subpoena of Mr. Musk to testify before the Committee.
- Ranking Member Connolly: “Who is this unelected billionaire, that he can attempt to dismantle federal agencies, fire people, transfer them, offer them early retirement, and have sweeping reform or changes to agencies without any congressional review, oversight, or concurrence? Therefore, Mr. Chairman, given his prominence and his importance, I move that the Committee subpoena Elon Musk to come before it as a witness at the earliest possible moment.”
- Ranking Member Connolly and Rep. Steny Hoyer, the Ranking Member of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government, hosted a roundtable with major federal employee groups and civil service organizations to coordinate action on the Trump Administration's unprecedented and dangerous attacks on the federal workforce and the critical services they provide to the American people.
- Ranking Member Connolly: “Co-Presidents Trump and Musk and their cronies have used their first two weeks in office to launch a sweeping attack against the backbone of our government, the nonpartisan civil service. This Administration's utter disregard and disparagement of the federal workforce and their legacy of public service will be to the detriment of our government and the American people it serves. Today, Members heard directly from some of the people on the frontlines of this fight to coordinate our response to the chaos President Trump and his billionaire friends have unleashed on this country. Together, we will hold the line.”
- Oversight Democrats sent a letter to President Donald Trump, requesting documents and information regarding his “deferred resignation” offer sent en mass to the federal workforce, and urging him to rescind the offer. The letter cites concerns that it is an illegal scam that will decimate the civil service, endanger federal employees, and cause immeasurable harm to the services the American public depend on.
- The Members wrote: “Without the expertise and institutional knowledge that so many federal employees bring to their work, our government will be incapable of responding effectively to national emergencies, serving the American public, or even carrying out routine operations. The resignation offer sets the stage for an unparalleled crisis in our government's ability to deliver for the American people.”
- Ranking Member Connolly sent a letter to Chairman James Comer requesting the Chair invite Elon Musk to the Committee's hearing on Wednesday, February 5, 2025 titled “Rightsizing Government.”
- Ranking Member Connolly: “On Wednesday, February 5, 2025, the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform will hold a hearing titled ‘Rightsizing Government.' In the two weeks since the start of the Trump Administration, Elon Musk—a billionaire oligarch, close friend and trusted confidante of President Trump—has already shown his outsized role in the restructuring and ‘rightsizing' of the federal government. As the Oversight Committee uses the upcoming hearing to examine the ‘size and complexity of the federal government,' I request that you invite Mr. Musk to appear as a witness.”