DOGE Overrides Career Staff to Access Federal Payroll System

Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency Gains Access to Federal Payroll System, Sparking Concerns Over Data Security

Over the weekend, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a team tasked by Elon Musk with reducing costs and increasing efficiency within federal agencies, acquired access to a payroll system that processes salaries for approximately 276,000 federal employees. This access, however, has raised significant alarms among senior IT staff regarding the potential compromise of sensitive government personnel data, which they believe could become more susceptible to cyberattacks.

The payroll system in question is managed by the Department of the Interior and serves multiple federal agencies, including the Department of Justice, the Department of Treasury, and the Department of Homeland Security, among others. By gaining entry to this system, DOGE employees now have visibility into highly sensitive personal information such as Social Security numbers and the authority to alter employment statuses and compensation levels without additional oversight.

Reports indicate that the DOGE team had been attempting to secure administrative access to the Federal Personnel and Payroll System for two weeks prior to successfully obtaining permission last Saturday. Tensions escalated when IT officials, wary of the security risks, expressed their concerns and were subsequently placed on administrative leave as DOGE advanced its agenda. This situation raises broader questions about the oversight and control of sensitive data within government agencies.

A spokesperson for the Interior Department, Kathryn Martin, defended the actions taken in light of President Trump’s Executive Orders aimed at streamlining government operations. "We are working to execute the President’s directive to cut costs and make the government more efficient for the American people," Martin stated. As of Sunday night, there had been no official comment from the White House regarding the matter.

Musk, in recent interviews, has argued that the pursuit of access to federal information aligns with a larger initiative to streamline government data systems, effectively reducing waste and fraud. He contends that disjointed databases represent a major vulnerability for fraud. “These databases don’t talk to each other, and that’s really the source of the biggest vulnerabilities,” Musk stated, emphasizing that reconciling these databases is essential for improving government efficiency.

However, such a drastic measure has not gone unnoticed. Internal memos from senior employees at the Interior Department warned that granting DOGE high-level access poses significant risks. These memos pointed out that elevated access was rare, stating that no single official has previously held access to all HR, payroll, and credentialing systems. Concerns were specifically highlighted regarding the potential breach of the Privacy Act, under which unauthorized access and misuse of sensitive data could result in criminal penalties.

The memo also indicated that individuals with such extensive access could become primary targets for cyberattacks by malicious entities, including terrorists. Additionally, it pointed out that administrative access typically necessitates training and certification—qualifications that the DOGE employees reportedly lacked.

On Friday, as tensions rose, federal employees urged DOGE representatives to submit the warning memo to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum for his signature, thereby transferring legal accountability for any risks associated with their request. Ultimately, Secretary Burgum did not sign the memo, and shortly thereafter, Tyler Hassan, a recent DOGE appointee and now acting assistant secretary of policy, management, and budget at the Interior Department, put the agency’s chief information officer and chief information security officer on administrative leave, leading to investigations into their workplace behavior.

As of now, it remains unclear whether the DOGE has pursued or gained access to payroll systems at additional federal agencies, which collectively employ around 2 million federal workers across the country. The ongoing situation shines a light on the increasing intermingling of governmental operations with private sector approaches, as well as the inherent risks associated with such transitions.

The necessity for maintaining the security and privacy of federal employees’ sensitive information cannot be overstated, especially in the current digital era where cyber threats are rampant. As this story unfolds, both federal employees and the public remain vigilant about the implications of this unprecedented access and the potential for misuse of the obtained information.

Maggie Haberman contributed to this report, underscoring the ongoing scrutiny of the DOGE’s actions amid growing concerns about cybersecurity and governmental efficiency. As federal workers and citizens continue to observe these developments, the balance between efficiency and data protection remains a poignant topic of discussion.