Doge Has Unfettered Access to Personal Data

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. LARSON of Connecticut. Mr. Speaker, I, first and foremost, will associate myself with the remarks of Mr. Neal from Massachusetts about our dear friend and colleague, Charlie Rangel.

Also, Mr. Speaker, I will point out, as well, that I believe the Representative from Indiana was on the floor talking about how we should go after PBS and NPR. ``Sesame Street'' and Big Bird are really culprits here, and every American ought to be really concerned about that.

We still have something we call free press and free opinions. If you think that they are the kind of organization that they are--I believe the other night on the floor they were called communistic, as well. How about we have an open public hearing and debate on that and put legislation forward not in the dark of night but when the public can actually view what you are saying.

Mr. Speaker, I am here today primarily, though, to talk about Social Security and also to enlighten, I hope, my colleagues on the other side. I am very concerned about the Supreme Court's most recent ruling that overturned two lower courts with no logic and said, no, there shouldn't be a pause, that DOGE ought to be able to look at everyone's personal data and records.

To all Social Security recipients and all Americans out there that are tuned in to this, understand what this is about. This is about DOGE having access to the more than 70 million Social Security recipients and everybody who, in fact, is on Social Security, which will include basically the whole Nation.

Why they need this data they don't make clear, but then again, they have never been vetted. They have never had to go through a Senate process. They are a special group status that has no responsibility or accountability and have been given unfettered access to everyone's personal data and information.

I would hope that one Republican--perhaps you, Mr. Speaker--will stand up and speak out against this outrage, because you know how important Social Security is to your district and how many recipients you have and how much money comes into your district on a monthly basis.

Imagine, that hasn't been altered in over 54 years because this body hasn't taken action, but now Elon Musk and Trump will get over the dispute they had because their focus is on privatizing Social Security and going after the $2.7 trillion of the people's money that is in trust. Their goal is to privatize Social Security by both dismantling it from within by laying off people, cutting phone service, closing regional offices, and suspending more than 7,000 workers under the guise of ``we are after fraud and abuse.''

They are about to take and use something that could be a very constructive tool in AI, but, no, they are going to be using that tool to go after the people's data and information and the $2.7 trillion in the trust fund.

Will anyone on the other side of the aisle join Representatives Neal and Jeffries in putting forward a bill that stops DOGE from looking at and taking people's personal data and information?

They have no accountability. The only accountability over Social Security is the United States Congress. If the Republicans remain silent and let this happen, shame on them for letting this happen. There is no way that Americans should be subject to a person who hasn't been verified, people who are going in and looking at their personal data and information.

I think it is disgusting what is going on, and there ought to be hearings and, most importantly, there ought to be a vote. We have a plan. We have a plan not to privatize Social Security, but to enhance it for the first time in over 54 years, to lift the 5 million people that get below-poverty-level checks out of it.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source