- Elon Musk’s DOGE team is seeking access to sensitive taxpayer data held by the IRS. A 25-year-old staffer is reportedly set to gain access to it.
Elon Musk’s DOGE team is heading to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and seeking access to data that includes detailed financial information about every taxpayer.
According to a report from the Washington Post, the IRS is considering a memorandum of understanding that would give DOGE access to the Integrated Data Retrieval System (IDRS), a system that allows IRS employees to access taxpayer information.
The IDRS enables employees “to have instantaneous visual access to certain taxpayer accounts,” according to the IRS website. IRS employees with access to the system have the power to request tax returns, research account information, and automatically generate notices.
DOGE staffer Gavin Kliger, a 25-year-old software engineer who has been linked to the shutdown of USAID, is reportedly set to work in the IRS for 120 days.
The former Databricks engineer is primarily aiming to provide engineering assistance and IT modernization consulting, according to the Washington Post. The agreement reviewed by the outlet requires Kliger to keep tax return information confidential, protect data from unauthorized access, and destroy any information shared with him when his tenure at the IRS ends.
DOGE’s request for access has reportedly caused waves within the IRS, with some employees concerned that Kliger’s access could lead to taxpayers being entitled to monetary damages.
Representatives for the IRS and the Trump administration did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fortune, made outside normal working hours.
A Trump administration official told the Washington Post that DOGE personnel needed IDRS access because they were working to “eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse, and improve government performance to better serve the people.”
The official added that the “DOGE mission” was being carried out “legally and with the appropriate security clearances.”
DOGE’s war on bureaucracy
This is not the first time DOGE has sought access to sensitive government information.
The cost-cutting team has been tearing through federal government agencies amid its mission to root out fraud and cut spending. The team has already been privy to sensitive payment information held by the U.S. Treasury. One DOGE staffer was also mistakenly granted edit access to the Treasury’s database, according to an official’s affidavit.
DOGE has already moved to shutter some government agencies entirely, including the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
The team’s expansive mandate and its unprecedented access to confidential government information have caused some lawmakers to raise the alarm. Democrats have also been demanding conflict-of-interest answers over Musk’s DOGE involvement.
The treasury department’s inspector is already probing if DOGE’s access to payment systems was unconstitutional after Democrats complained about the access gained to a 25-year-old, Marko Elez.
President Donald Trump has defended the team’s efforts and Musk amid the attacks. Speaking about the billionaire earlier this month, the president said, “He’s not gaining anything. In fact, I wonder how he can devote the time to it.”
Last week, the president invited Musk to hold a press briefing in the Oval Office to explain and defend DOGE’s activities. Trump also signed an executive order that granted DOGE more power to slash the federal workforce. The order required agencies to cooperate with DOGE and enforced restrictions on new hires within the federal government.
