Protecting Seniors' Data Act To Audit DOGE's Access Of Social Security Systems, Identify 'Backdoor' Channels: Report

Senate Democrats are pushing for a wide-ranging review of the Social Security Administration's (SSA) digital infrastructure after the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) allegedly obtained extensive access to its networks.

What Happened: Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) presented the Protecting Seniors' Data Act of 2025 on Wednesday, Fedscoop reports. The legislation would direct the Government Accountability Office to audit all SSA systems accessed by DOGE staff, including employees or volunteers.

According to the bill text, the review must identify any software vulnerabilities or unauthorized alterations made by DOGE affiliates. Lawmakers also want to ascertain whether DOGE's actions breached the Privacy Act or the Federal Information Security Management Act.

On the Senate floor, Whitehouse said, "If you were actually concerned about waste, fraud and abuse, you wouldn't fire all the inspectors general." "You'd actually probably try to recruit the inspectors general into your so-called government efficiency effort," he added.

The legislation comes amid legal efforts to block DOGE from further involvement with SSA systems. Last month, the Trump administration asked the Supreme Court to allow DOGE to access SSA data.

Whitehouse warned that "there remains the lingering danger" that DOGE "perhaps they left backdoors so that Elon Musk or other folks who are interested in getting access to massive amounts of Americans' data can find their way into Social Security's data systems secretly."

In April, Rep. Gerald Connolly (D-VA) sent a letter to the Social Security Administration’s Inspector General demanding an investigation into allegations that DOGE is creating a cross-agency master database containing Americans' sensitive personal data.

Why It Matters: Under the newly proposed law, SSA Commissioner Frank Bisignano, who once called himself "fundamentally a DOGE person," would be required to report back to Congress on any identified weak points and how they are being dealt with. During his confirmation hearing, Bisignano promised, "I would do whatever is required to protect the information that is private information."

The Protecting Seniors' Data Act of 2025 comes days after Tesla Inc. TSLA CEO Elon Musk, the most prominent figure associated with DOGE, said the initiative became "the whipping boy for everything" that went awry in Washington.

Meanwhile, a photo is circulating online, allegedly depicting garbage, including cannabis, left behind by a DOGE team occupying the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) office.

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