Special Poll
Leading Democrats in Congress are raising concerns over the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a unit tied to Elon Musk, and its involvement with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) after reports surfaced about the group seeking access to sensitive taxpayer information.
Senate Finance Committee members Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) have formally requested answers from IRS acting Commissioner Douglas O’Donnell. They are asking for details on any agreements between the IRS and DOGE, whether DOGE team members have already accessed taxpayer data, and a list of individuals involved in the effort to obtain such access.
A key concern is whether DOGE members are being granted entry to the IRS Integrated Data Retrieval System (IDRS), a powerful software tool used by IRS employees to retrieve tax records, generate notices, and manage taxpayer accounts. The senators specifically asked, “Is the IRS considering giving DOGE team members access to the IDRS? If so, why?”
The inquiry follows a troubling pattern of DOGE involvement in government financial systems. Earlier, DOGE personnel gained access to sensitive Treasury Department payment systems, prompting Democratic state attorneys general to obtain a restraining order to limit their activities.
Adding to the controversy, reports indicate that a software engineer, Gavin Kliger, was working at IRS headquarters in Washington as part of the DOGE initiative. Another DOGE-affiliated engineer, Marko Elez, was given both read and write access to key Treasury Department payment systems before resigning over racist social media posts uncovered by The Wall Street Journal.
Initially, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent insisted that DOGE personnel had only “read-only” access to these systems, meaning they could view but not alter data. However, Joseph Gioeli III, the Bureau of Fiscal Service’s deputy commissioner, later admitted that Elez had, in fact, been mistakenly granted full editing privileges on the Secure Payment System (SPS), a critical federal payment platform.
The controversy comes amid a period of major change at the IRS. The agency was slated for a significant expansion under the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, which allocated $80 billion in funding to improve enforcement and modernize operations. However, under Republican pressure, more than a quarter of that funding was revoked during budget negotiations. Additionally, nearly $20.2 billion designated for audits was frozen last year due to a legislative oversight and Republican maneuvering.
As the Trump administration looks to restructure the IRS further, questions remain about who has access to taxpayer data and how oversight is being handled. With concerns about potential misuse of federal financial systems, lawmakers continue to push for transparency regarding DOGE’s role in IRS and Treasury Department operations.