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Private Social Security data of 70 million people ripped off by DOGE
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Private Social Security data of 70 million people ripped off by DOGE
Trump’s myrmidons and loyalists are fascist misbegotten fools
By Lynda Carson - January 22, 2026
One can only wonder how many times do the Trump loyalist, white supremacist, Neo-Nazi, fascist misbegotten fools supporting Trump have to be ripped off, and betrayed by the convicted felon President Donald J. Trump, before they realize that the convicted felon Trump only cares about himself, not them.
Reportedly, the Social Security Administration has been deeply sabotaged by the convicted felon President Donald J. Trump administration, Elon Musk, and DOGE personnel / employees.
That’s right. Reportedly, Elon Musk and DOGE ripped off the very personal Social Security data of over 70 million people, and may have unlawfully spread it around from here, to hell.
More about this reportedly horrific rip off situation may be found on the link to the Google News Wire - Social Security, directly below…
https://news.google.com/stories/CAAqNggKIjBDQklTSGpvSmMzUnZjbmt0TXpZd1NoRUtEd2l2aEsteUVCR1A1cG9jYWR0R3lTZ0FQAQ?hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US%3Aen
“NOTICE OF CORRECTIONS TO THE RECORD.”
According to a recent court filing, filed on 1/16/2026 that in part says, “NOTICE OF CORRECTIONS TO THE RECORD.” - “Defendant Social Security Administration (“SSA”) has reviewed records of and relating to data access of SSA’s former DOGE Team for audit and litigation purposes. Based on its review of records obtained during or after October 2025, SSA identified communications, use of data, and other actions by the then-SSA DOGE Team that were potentially outside of SSA policy and/or noncompliant with the District Court’s March 20, 2025, temporary restraining order (“TRO”) (ECF 48). SSA notified the undersigned Department of Justice (“DOJ”) attorneys on December 10, 2025, of its concerns. Following further diligence and review by SSA into these matters, which were necessary for SSA and the undersigned counsel to understand the facts surrounding the SSA DOGE Team’s actions, Defendants now respectfully notify the Court as follows. For the avoidance of doubt, undersigned counsel clarify that the information contained in this Notice was relayed to the undersigned counsel by SSA representatives. Counsel will promptly inform the Court if the information within their possession changes.”
-The Guardian-
Additionally, according to a recent report with The Guardian, in part it says, “After months of denials, the Trump administration has acknowledged in a federal court filing that employees working for Elon Musk’s supposed cost-cutting operation accessed and improperly shared Americans’ sensitive social security data.
The justice department court filing, submitted on Friday in an ongoing lawsuit, reveals that a member of the so-called “department of government efficiency” (Doge) signed a secret data-sharing agreement with an unidentified political advocacy group whose stated aim was to find evidence of voter fraud and overturn election results in certain states.
The Social Security Administration (SSA) told the court it had no prior knowledge of the March agreement and only discovered it during an unrelated review in November. The agency has referred two potential violations of the Hatch Act, which prohibits federal employees from engaging in political activity, to the Office of Special Counsel for investigation.
“Based on its review of records obtained during or after October 2025,” the filing said, “SSA identified communications, use of data, and other actions by the then-SSA DOGE Team that were potentially outside of SSA policy and/or noncompliant with the District Court’s March 20, 2025, temporary restraining order.”
The court filing added that Doge members shared data with each other using Cloudflare, an unauthorized third-party server, and that the agency had been unable to determine what information was transmitted or whether it still exists on the server.
In one instance, a Doge staffer sent an encrypted, password-protected file to Steve Davis, described as a senior adviser to the Doge operation, that the agency believes contained names and addresses of approximately 1,000 people derived from social security systems. Officials have been unable to access the file to confirm its contents.
The revelations are an about-face for social security officials, who have long insisted there was no evidence Doge had potentially compromised personal data. In August, after former chief data officer Charles Borges warned Congress that Doge was storing Americans’ data in an unsafe environment. An SSA spokesperson, Nick Perrine, said the agency was “not aware of any compromise to this environment”.
The disclosures come in response to a lawsuit filed in February by unions and an advocacy group attempting to block Doge from accessing social security data. A federal judge had temporarily barred the operation from accessing sensitive information, stating that Doge “essentially engaged in a fishing expedition at SSA, in search of a fraud epidemic, based on little more than suspicion”. The supreme court later lifted that restriction.”
-Social Security Works-
In a recent press release from ‘Social Security Works,’ titled “DOGE Stole Private Social Security Data. Congress Must Investigate Now.”, in part it says, “(Washington, DC) — The following is a statement from Alex Lawson, Executive Director of Social Security Works:
“Nearly a year ago, Elon Musk’s DOGE forced out Social Security’s acting commissioner after she refused to hand over the American people’s private Social Security data.
Unions and advocates quickly filed a lawsuit to bar DOGE from accessing the data, but the Supreme Court issued a preliminary injunction restoring DOGE’s access. Now, we are beginning to learn what DOGE is doing with it.
New court filings related to the lawsuit reveal that DOGE operatives entered an agreement with an advocacy group to share private Social Security data — with the goal of overturning election results in several states. The filings do not reveal the identity of either the DOGE operatives or the advocacy group.
Thanks to Donald Trump and the Supreme Court, Elon Musk’s DOGE minions have access to our private Social Security data. So does anyone they choose to share it with — and anyone who can hack the unsecured server they’ve stored it on.
This week’s revelations are just the tip of the iceberg. We need to know exactly who has our data and what they are doing with it. And those who have committed illegal acts must be prosecuted.
Republicans in Congress love to claim that they support Social Security. Now is their chance to prove it, by launching a long-overdue investigation into just what DOGE is doing with our earned benefits and our private data.”
-House Social Security Subcommittee Ranking Member John B. Larson (CT-01) and Ways and Means Committee Ranking Member Richard E. Neal (MA-01)-
In a different recent press release, in part it says, “Washington, D.C. - Today, House Social Security Subcommittee Ranking Member John B. Larson (CT-01) and Ways and Means Committee Ranking Member Richard E. Neal (MA-01) released the following statement after the Social Security Administration admitted in court that ‘DOGE’ employees tried to hand over sensitive personal records to an unnamed advocacy group seeking to “overturn election results,” traded confidential data on an unapproved private server, and sent confidential information on about 1,000 Americans to Elon Musk’s “top lieutenant.”
“We have been warning about privacy violations at Social Security and calling out Elon Musk’s ‘DOGE’ for months,” said Larson and Neal. “Elon Musk and his ‘DOGE’ believe they are above the law and refused to appear before Congress. Republicans have blocked every effort to hold this Administration accountable, voting down our resolutions demanding documents, even changing House Rules to shield ‘DOGE’ from accountability and protect themselves from having to take another vote on the issue. Today, we learned alarming news that proves the brave whistleblower who came forward in August was right. ‘DOGE’ signed an agreement to share Social Security data with an organization trying to undermine state election results, sent 1,000 Americans’ personal records directly to one of Elon Musk’s top consiglieres, and shared the confidential data of Americans on a private server. The ‘DOGE’ appointees engaged in this scheme – who were never brought before Congress for approval or even publicly identified – must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law for these abhorrent violations of the public trust.
“The time for talk is over. Chairman Smith and every Republican on the Ways and Means Committee must break their silence on what could very well be the largest data breach in our nation’s history and as we have now learned, may have implications for election security,” they continued. "Democrats have a bill to safeguard Americans’ privacy by blocking political appointees like Elon Musk and his ‘DOGE’ minions from accessing sensitive data systems at Social Security. Standing by and doing nothing is a dereliction of duty to the American people this Congress is sworn to serve.”
Last March, Ranking Members Larson and Neal introduced the Protecting Americans’ Social Security Data Act to block political appointees, like Elon Musk and his ‘DOGE,’ from accessing sensitive data systems at the Social Security Administration. It would also establish privacy requirements in law for beneficiary data and strengthen oversight and civil penalties for any privacy and disclosure violations of Social Security beneficiaries’ personal information.
Larson demanded a markup and vote on the bill in June when the Supreme Court allowed ‘DOGE’ access to sensitive data at Social Security. After a whistleblower report in August confirmed that ‘DOGE’ had copied the personal information of 300 million Americans on to a vulnerable cloud, Larson and Ways and Means Committee Ranking Member Richard Neal called for immediate hearings and a full committee investigation on the report.”
Additionally, see an AFGE Press Release below, - Dated: June 30, 2025
Due to DOGE Cuts, 1 SSA Employee Is Expected to Serve 1,480 Beneficiaries
June 30, 2025
A new analysis on Social Security, the country’s most popular, most supported program, reflects what AFGE has been saying all along: Staffing cuts will hurt the American people who rely on Social Security.
Due to the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)’s reckless cuts, the Social Security Administration (SSA) has lost 7,000 employees since January. According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP), that’s the largest staffing cut in SSA’s history, which will translate into much delayed services to the beneficiaries. In fact, one staff member now serves 1,480 beneficiaries, which is over three times as many as in 1967.
In short, the number of beneficiaries has gone up while the number of workers serving them has gone down. And as we all know, benefits delayed are benefits denied.
SSA management hasn’t come up with a solution to fix the problem yet.
Their Band-Aid strategy is to fix staffing holes as they arise by transferring employees to different positions. But it’s not doing anyone any good and may actually harm beneficiaries.
IT help desk employees, for example, will now be making disability decisions while HR specialists will be required to master SSA’s complex benefit rules. Reassignments of IT staff have resulted in frequent system outages as they’re not there to maintain the complex web systems.
“Reassignment is creating even deeper holes in headquarters and regional offices that provide crucial support for their colleagues,” said the report. “For example, field office staff are struggling to resolve the most difficult cases, due to disproportionate losses and reassignments in SSA’s regional offices, which provide daily support to their colleagues in the field by answering complex policy questions and troubleshooting system problems.
The report predicted bigger backlogs and longer delays due to SSA trying to do more with fewer, less experienced employees.
But newly minted SSA Commissioner Frank Bisignano insisted that hiring enough workers to do the work is not a priority for the agency. Bisignano told lawmakers last week that SSA would rather focus on “technology” – ignoring that new technologies can be especially difficult to use and access for the elderly and people with disabilities”.
That’s right. Trump’s myrmidons and loyalists are fascist misbegotten fools, that will viciously destroy whats left of any semblance of democracy in the United States of America, and perhaps the world as we know it.
Lynda Carson may be reached at newzland2 [at] gmail.com
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
Trump’s myrmidons and loyalists are fascist misbegotten fools
By Lynda Carson - January 22, 2026
One can only wonder how many times do the Trump loyalist, white supremacist, Neo-Nazi, fascist misbegotten fools supporting Trump have to be ripped off, and betrayed by the convicted felon President Donald J. Trump, before they realize that the convicted felon Trump only cares about himself, not them.
Reportedly, the Social Security Administration has been deeply sabotaged by the convicted felon President Donald J. Trump administration, Elon Musk, and DOGE personnel / employees.
That’s right. Reportedly, Elon Musk and DOGE ripped off the very personal Social Security data of over 70 million people, and may have unlawfully spread it around from here, to hell.
More about this reportedly horrific rip off situation may be found on the link to the Google News Wire - Social Security, directly below…
https://news.google.com/stories/CAAqNggKIjBDQklTSGpvSmMzUnZjbmt0TXpZd1NoRUtEd2l2aEsteUVCR1A1cG9jYWR0R3lTZ0FQAQ?hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US%3Aen
“NOTICE OF CORRECTIONS TO THE RECORD.”
According to a recent court filing, filed on 1/16/2026 that in part says, “NOTICE OF CORRECTIONS TO THE RECORD.” - “Defendant Social Security Administration (“SSA”) has reviewed records of and relating to data access of SSA’s former DOGE Team for audit and litigation purposes. Based on its review of records obtained during or after October 2025, SSA identified communications, use of data, and other actions by the then-SSA DOGE Team that were potentially outside of SSA policy and/or noncompliant with the District Court’s March 20, 2025, temporary restraining order (“TRO”) (ECF 48). SSA notified the undersigned Department of Justice (“DOJ”) attorneys on December 10, 2025, of its concerns. Following further diligence and review by SSA into these matters, which were necessary for SSA and the undersigned counsel to understand the facts surrounding the SSA DOGE Team’s actions, Defendants now respectfully notify the Court as follows. For the avoidance of doubt, undersigned counsel clarify that the information contained in this Notice was relayed to the undersigned counsel by SSA representatives. Counsel will promptly inform the Court if the information within their possession changes.”
-The Guardian-
Additionally, according to a recent report with The Guardian, in part it says, “After months of denials, the Trump administration has acknowledged in a federal court filing that employees working for Elon Musk’s supposed cost-cutting operation accessed and improperly shared Americans’ sensitive social security data.
The justice department court filing, submitted on Friday in an ongoing lawsuit, reveals that a member of the so-called “department of government efficiency” (Doge) signed a secret data-sharing agreement with an unidentified political advocacy group whose stated aim was to find evidence of voter fraud and overturn election results in certain states.
The Social Security Administration (SSA) told the court it had no prior knowledge of the March agreement and only discovered it during an unrelated review in November. The agency has referred two potential violations of the Hatch Act, which prohibits federal employees from engaging in political activity, to the Office of Special Counsel for investigation.
“Based on its review of records obtained during or after October 2025,” the filing said, “SSA identified communications, use of data, and other actions by the then-SSA DOGE Team that were potentially outside of SSA policy and/or noncompliant with the District Court’s March 20, 2025, temporary restraining order.”
The court filing added that Doge members shared data with each other using Cloudflare, an unauthorized third-party server, and that the agency had been unable to determine what information was transmitted or whether it still exists on the server.
In one instance, a Doge staffer sent an encrypted, password-protected file to Steve Davis, described as a senior adviser to the Doge operation, that the agency believes contained names and addresses of approximately 1,000 people derived from social security systems. Officials have been unable to access the file to confirm its contents.
The revelations are an about-face for social security officials, who have long insisted there was no evidence Doge had potentially compromised personal data. In August, after former chief data officer Charles Borges warned Congress that Doge was storing Americans’ data in an unsafe environment. An SSA spokesperson, Nick Perrine, said the agency was “not aware of any compromise to this environment”.
The disclosures come in response to a lawsuit filed in February by unions and an advocacy group attempting to block Doge from accessing social security data. A federal judge had temporarily barred the operation from accessing sensitive information, stating that Doge “essentially engaged in a fishing expedition at SSA, in search of a fraud epidemic, based on little more than suspicion”. The supreme court later lifted that restriction.”
-Social Security Works-
In a recent press release from ‘Social Security Works,’ titled “DOGE Stole Private Social Security Data. Congress Must Investigate Now.”, in part it says, “(Washington, DC) — The following is a statement from Alex Lawson, Executive Director of Social Security Works:
“Nearly a year ago, Elon Musk’s DOGE forced out Social Security’s acting commissioner after she refused to hand over the American people’s private Social Security data.
Unions and advocates quickly filed a lawsuit to bar DOGE from accessing the data, but the Supreme Court issued a preliminary injunction restoring DOGE’s access. Now, we are beginning to learn what DOGE is doing with it.
New court filings related to the lawsuit reveal that DOGE operatives entered an agreement with an advocacy group to share private Social Security data — with the goal of overturning election results in several states. The filings do not reveal the identity of either the DOGE operatives or the advocacy group.
Thanks to Donald Trump and the Supreme Court, Elon Musk’s DOGE minions have access to our private Social Security data. So does anyone they choose to share it with — and anyone who can hack the unsecured server they’ve stored it on.
This week’s revelations are just the tip of the iceberg. We need to know exactly who has our data and what they are doing with it. And those who have committed illegal acts must be prosecuted.
Republicans in Congress love to claim that they support Social Security. Now is their chance to prove it, by launching a long-overdue investigation into just what DOGE is doing with our earned benefits and our private data.”
-House Social Security Subcommittee Ranking Member John B. Larson (CT-01) and Ways and Means Committee Ranking Member Richard E. Neal (MA-01)-
In a different recent press release, in part it says, “Washington, D.C. - Today, House Social Security Subcommittee Ranking Member John B. Larson (CT-01) and Ways and Means Committee Ranking Member Richard E. Neal (MA-01) released the following statement after the Social Security Administration admitted in court that ‘DOGE’ employees tried to hand over sensitive personal records to an unnamed advocacy group seeking to “overturn election results,” traded confidential data on an unapproved private server, and sent confidential information on about 1,000 Americans to Elon Musk’s “top lieutenant.”
“We have been warning about privacy violations at Social Security and calling out Elon Musk’s ‘DOGE’ for months,” said Larson and Neal. “Elon Musk and his ‘DOGE’ believe they are above the law and refused to appear before Congress. Republicans have blocked every effort to hold this Administration accountable, voting down our resolutions demanding documents, even changing House Rules to shield ‘DOGE’ from accountability and protect themselves from having to take another vote on the issue. Today, we learned alarming news that proves the brave whistleblower who came forward in August was right. ‘DOGE’ signed an agreement to share Social Security data with an organization trying to undermine state election results, sent 1,000 Americans’ personal records directly to one of Elon Musk’s top consiglieres, and shared the confidential data of Americans on a private server. The ‘DOGE’ appointees engaged in this scheme – who were never brought before Congress for approval or even publicly identified – must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law for these abhorrent violations of the public trust.
“The time for talk is over. Chairman Smith and every Republican on the Ways and Means Committee must break their silence on what could very well be the largest data breach in our nation’s history and as we have now learned, may have implications for election security,” they continued. "Democrats have a bill to safeguard Americans’ privacy by blocking political appointees like Elon Musk and his ‘DOGE’ minions from accessing sensitive data systems at Social Security. Standing by and doing nothing is a dereliction of duty to the American people this Congress is sworn to serve.”
Last March, Ranking Members Larson and Neal introduced the Protecting Americans’ Social Security Data Act to block political appointees, like Elon Musk and his ‘DOGE,’ from accessing sensitive data systems at the Social Security Administration. It would also establish privacy requirements in law for beneficiary data and strengthen oversight and civil penalties for any privacy and disclosure violations of Social Security beneficiaries’ personal information.
Larson demanded a markup and vote on the bill in June when the Supreme Court allowed ‘DOGE’ access to sensitive data at Social Security. After a whistleblower report in August confirmed that ‘DOGE’ had copied the personal information of 300 million Americans on to a vulnerable cloud, Larson and Ways and Means Committee Ranking Member Richard Neal called for immediate hearings and a full committee investigation on the report.”
Additionally, see an AFGE Press Release below, - Dated: June 30, 2025
Due to DOGE Cuts, 1 SSA Employee Is Expected to Serve 1,480 Beneficiaries
June 30, 2025
A new analysis on Social Security, the country’s most popular, most supported program, reflects what AFGE has been saying all along: Staffing cuts will hurt the American people who rely on Social Security.
Due to the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)’s reckless cuts, the Social Security Administration (SSA) has lost 7,000 employees since January. According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP), that’s the largest staffing cut in SSA’s history, which will translate into much delayed services to the beneficiaries. In fact, one staff member now serves 1,480 beneficiaries, which is over three times as many as in 1967.
In short, the number of beneficiaries has gone up while the number of workers serving them has gone down. And as we all know, benefits delayed are benefits denied.
SSA management hasn’t come up with a solution to fix the problem yet.
Their Band-Aid strategy is to fix staffing holes as they arise by transferring employees to different positions. But it’s not doing anyone any good and may actually harm beneficiaries.
IT help desk employees, for example, will now be making disability decisions while HR specialists will be required to master SSA’s complex benefit rules. Reassignments of IT staff have resulted in frequent system outages as they’re not there to maintain the complex web systems.
“Reassignment is creating even deeper holes in headquarters and regional offices that provide crucial support for their colleagues,” said the report. “For example, field office staff are struggling to resolve the most difficult cases, due to disproportionate losses and reassignments in SSA’s regional offices, which provide daily support to their colleagues in the field by answering complex policy questions and troubleshooting system problems.
The report predicted bigger backlogs and longer delays due to SSA trying to do more with fewer, less experienced employees.
But newly minted SSA Commissioner Frank Bisignano insisted that hiring enough workers to do the work is not a priority for the agency. Bisignano told lawmakers last week that SSA would rather focus on “technology” – ignoring that new technologies can be especially difficult to use and access for the elderly and people with disabilities”.
That’s right. Trump’s myrmidons and loyalists are fascist misbegotten fools, that will viciously destroy whats left of any semblance of democracy in the United States of America, and perhaps the world as we know it.
Lynda Carson may be reached at newzland2 [at] gmail.com
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
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AFSCME Press Release,
posted by Lynda Carson.
>>>>>>>
https://www.afscme.org/press/releases/2025/department-of-justice-acknowledges-misconduct-by-trump-vance-administration-doge-employees-by-unlawfully-accessing-and-misusing-social-security-data
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
THURSDAY, JANUARY 22, 2026
Contact: Nick Voutsinos
Email: nvoutsinos [at] afscme.org
Department of Justice Acknowledges Misconduct by Trump-Vance Administration, DOGE Employees by Unlawfully Accessing and Misusing Social Security Data
Disclosures Reveal New Lack of Compliance, Depths of Corruption and Malfeasance Plaintiffs Demand Confirmation That No Records Have Been Destroyed
Baltimore, Md. – After a bombshell filing in federal court made by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), wherein DOJ admitted to multiple inaccuracies and misrepresentations it made to federal courts in a case challenging the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) employees’ access to Americans’ personal Social Security data, a coalition of unions and retiree advocates are back in court. In two separate filings–one in federal district court and one in the federal Court of Appeals–the unions and retiree advocates are seeking to add information to the record in the case regarding brazen misconduct recently admitted to by the Trump-Vance administration. In addition, Democracy Forward, counsel for the plaintiffs, is demanding that DOJ ensure that all documents be retained concerning these new revelations.
On January 16, 2026, the government filed a “Notice of Corrections to the Record” in AFSCME v. SSA., which disclosed a number of inaccuracies in information the government had previously provided to the court.
In its filings today, the coalition of unions and retiree advocates—including the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), and the Alliance for Retired Americans (ARA)—explain that DOJ’s statements to both the district and appellate court contain numerous misstatements and omissions by Defendants on relevant factual issues, knowable only to Defendants. And there is no question that Defendants’ errors and omissions are material to issues on appeal. The filings cite examples that include DOJ’s acknowledgment that individuals' personal data was disclosed to third parties using a non-government server; and that a DOGE Team member at the Social Security Administration (SSA) entered into a “Voter Data Agreement” after being asked by someone outside the government to analyze state voter rolls. They ask the court to supplement the record to include these new revelations.
Notably, this information comes to light as the Trump-Vance administration is under fire for its attempts to misuse individuals' personal information to purge voter roles in states ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
“Exactly as we warned, the billionaires running DOGE have put our private data at risk,” said AFSCME President Lee Saunders. “Their mishandling of Americans’ Social Security information directly endangers working peoples’ and retirees’ economic security, all to advance their extreme anti-worker agenda. Our case has continued to bring to light how this administration is failing workers and seniors, and we will continue to press forward to ensure everyone can retire with security and dignity.”
"The Trump administration’s admission that DOGE improperly shared sensitive Social Security data confirms our worst fears,” said AFT President Randi Weingarten. “We have argued in court that giving unelected billionaires permission to hijack our private data jeopardizes Americans’ personal and financial security. The courts were concerned we didn’t have proof, just fear. Now the government has revealed our fears were justified. They broke a basic bond of trust and put Americans’ futures at risk. Everyone who receives Social Security has contributed to it, and we will continue fighting to ensure the government upholds its end of the bargain. Americans should be allowed to retire with dignity and grace, not in fear that their sensitive information will be exposed.”
“The unauthorized release of Americans’ personal data represents a profound violation of public trust. Retirees, workers, and families depend on the Social Security Administration to protect their most confidential information,” said Richard Fiesta, Executive Director of the Alliance for Retired Americans. “We have a right to know what happened to our information, who had access to it, and what it was used for.”
“The brazen misconduct by President Trump's administration is doubly harmful here, when the privacy of individual Americans and the integrity of our election system is at risk. Democracy Forward will aggressively pursue this to protect the people and our democracy,” said Skye Perryman, President and CEO of Democracy Forward. “This case also shows the importance of litigation: the only way the American people have been able to learn what their government is up to in secret is because of the judicial process and our brave clients’ lawsuit. We will continue to do that in the days ahead and will use all legal tools to pursue accountability.”
Plaintiffs filed a lawsuit in February 2025, seeking emergency relief after uncovering facts showing that DOGE operatives had gained access to private Social Security records. According to declarations filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, DOGE personnel entered SSA systems without appropriate legal authority, bypassed key data safeguards, and placed the private information of millions of Americans—including bank account numbers, health records, wage histories, and immigration status—at risk of exposure, theft, or abuse.
The court took historic action soon afterwards, ordering DOGE to delete all unlawfully accessed data and temporarily blocking further access while the case was appealed to higher courts by the administration. The court order was later stayed by the U.S. Supreme Court via their shadow docket while plaintiffs vigorously pursue this matter in the lower courts.
Today’s filing can be found here. The letter to DOJ demanding that records be preserved can be found here. The original complaint can be found here.
>>>>>>>
posted by Lynda Carson.
>>>>>>>
https://www.afscme.org/press/releases/2025/department-of-justice-acknowledges-misconduct-by-trump-vance-administration-doge-employees-by-unlawfully-accessing-and-misusing-social-security-data
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
THURSDAY, JANUARY 22, 2026
Contact: Nick Voutsinos
Email: nvoutsinos [at] afscme.org
Department of Justice Acknowledges Misconduct by Trump-Vance Administration, DOGE Employees by Unlawfully Accessing and Misusing Social Security Data
Disclosures Reveal New Lack of Compliance, Depths of Corruption and Malfeasance Plaintiffs Demand Confirmation That No Records Have Been Destroyed
Baltimore, Md. – After a bombshell filing in federal court made by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), wherein DOJ admitted to multiple inaccuracies and misrepresentations it made to federal courts in a case challenging the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) employees’ access to Americans’ personal Social Security data, a coalition of unions and retiree advocates are back in court. In two separate filings–one in federal district court and one in the federal Court of Appeals–the unions and retiree advocates are seeking to add information to the record in the case regarding brazen misconduct recently admitted to by the Trump-Vance administration. In addition, Democracy Forward, counsel for the plaintiffs, is demanding that DOJ ensure that all documents be retained concerning these new revelations.
On January 16, 2026, the government filed a “Notice of Corrections to the Record” in AFSCME v. SSA., which disclosed a number of inaccuracies in information the government had previously provided to the court.
In its filings today, the coalition of unions and retiree advocates—including the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), and the Alliance for Retired Americans (ARA)—explain that DOJ’s statements to both the district and appellate court contain numerous misstatements and omissions by Defendants on relevant factual issues, knowable only to Defendants. And there is no question that Defendants’ errors and omissions are material to issues on appeal. The filings cite examples that include DOJ’s acknowledgment that individuals' personal data was disclosed to third parties using a non-government server; and that a DOGE Team member at the Social Security Administration (SSA) entered into a “Voter Data Agreement” after being asked by someone outside the government to analyze state voter rolls. They ask the court to supplement the record to include these new revelations.
Notably, this information comes to light as the Trump-Vance administration is under fire for its attempts to misuse individuals' personal information to purge voter roles in states ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
“Exactly as we warned, the billionaires running DOGE have put our private data at risk,” said AFSCME President Lee Saunders. “Their mishandling of Americans’ Social Security information directly endangers working peoples’ and retirees’ economic security, all to advance their extreme anti-worker agenda. Our case has continued to bring to light how this administration is failing workers and seniors, and we will continue to press forward to ensure everyone can retire with security and dignity.”
"The Trump administration’s admission that DOGE improperly shared sensitive Social Security data confirms our worst fears,” said AFT President Randi Weingarten. “We have argued in court that giving unelected billionaires permission to hijack our private data jeopardizes Americans’ personal and financial security. The courts were concerned we didn’t have proof, just fear. Now the government has revealed our fears were justified. They broke a basic bond of trust and put Americans’ futures at risk. Everyone who receives Social Security has contributed to it, and we will continue fighting to ensure the government upholds its end of the bargain. Americans should be allowed to retire with dignity and grace, not in fear that their sensitive information will be exposed.”
“The unauthorized release of Americans’ personal data represents a profound violation of public trust. Retirees, workers, and families depend on the Social Security Administration to protect their most confidential information,” said Richard Fiesta, Executive Director of the Alliance for Retired Americans. “We have a right to know what happened to our information, who had access to it, and what it was used for.”
“The brazen misconduct by President Trump's administration is doubly harmful here, when the privacy of individual Americans and the integrity of our election system is at risk. Democracy Forward will aggressively pursue this to protect the people and our democracy,” said Skye Perryman, President and CEO of Democracy Forward. “This case also shows the importance of litigation: the only way the American people have been able to learn what their government is up to in secret is because of the judicial process and our brave clients’ lawsuit. We will continue to do that in the days ahead and will use all legal tools to pursue accountability.”
Plaintiffs filed a lawsuit in February 2025, seeking emergency relief after uncovering facts showing that DOGE operatives had gained access to private Social Security records. According to declarations filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, DOGE personnel entered SSA systems without appropriate legal authority, bypassed key data safeguards, and placed the private information of millions of Americans—including bank account numbers, health records, wage histories, and immigration status—at risk of exposure, theft, or abuse.
The court took historic action soon afterwards, ordering DOGE to delete all unlawfully accessed data and temporarily blocking further access while the case was appealed to higher courts by the administration. The court order was later stayed by the U.S. Supreme Court via their shadow docket while plaintiffs vigorously pursue this matter in the lower courts.
Today’s filing can be found here. The letter to DOJ demanding that records be preserved can be found here. The original complaint can be found here.
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