The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), an initiative spearheaded by Elon Musk under President Donald Trump's administration, is seeking access to an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) database containing taxpayer data, raising concerns over privacy and potential misuse of sensitive financial information.
The system in question, the Integrated Data Retrieval System (IDRS), is a core IRS database that allows authorized employees to access taxpayer accounts, manage audits, and generate collection notices. DOGE's efforts to gain access to this database come amid broader efforts by the Trump administration to scrutinize federal agencies and root out what it describes as financial inefficiencies and corruption within government institutions.
"We do find it rather odd that there are quite a few people in the bureaucracy who have ostensibly a salary of a few hundred thousand dollars but somehow managed to accrue tens of millions of dollars in net worth while they are in that position," Musk said at a White House event on February 12.
DOGE's push for access to IRS data follows a separate request earlier this month to gain entry to the Treasury Department's federal payment system. That move was temporarily blocked by a federal judge after 19 states sued the administration, alleging violations of privacy laws and constitutional overreach.
The IRS has not yet granted DOGE access, and according to a report by The New York Times, it is still evaluating the role of a DOGE staffer, Gavin Kliger, who was assigned as a senior adviser to the IRS acting commissioner. While Kliger has been onboarded, he has not yet been given clearance to handle IRS data, a decision expected to be reviewed in the coming weeks.
Access to IRS taxpayer data is strictly controlled under federal law. Under current regulations, only designated IRS employees involved in tax collection, audits, and enforcement are permitted to retrieve such records. Federal officials outside the agency, including political appointees, cannot access taxpayer data unless explicitly authorized by law. Unauthorized access or disclosure of taxpayer information is a federal crime punishable by fines, imprisonment, and employment termination.
Despite these legal safeguards, concerns about DOGE's reach have intensified among lawmakers. Representative Gerry Connolly (D., Va.), ranking member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, criticized the initiative's expanding authority.
"Elon Musk and DOGE can't be allowed to creep on Americans' most sensitive data as they operate in the shadows," Connolly said. "This is an important step, and inspectors general must be free to pursue their investigations without interference."
A White House spokesperson defended DOGE's mission, stating that the administration is committed to identifying waste, fraud, and abuse within government agencies.
"Fraud and abuse have been deeply entrenched in our broken system for far too long," White House press secretary Harrison Fields said in a statement. "It takes direct access to the system to identify and fix it. DOGE will continue to shine a light on the fraud they uncover as the American people deserve to know what their government has been spending their hard-earned tax dollars on."
DOGE was created as part of Trump's second-term push to modernize government operations and maximize efficiency. The initiative has targeted several federal agencies with audits and restructuring proposals, arguing that outdated systems and bureaucratic inefficiencies are costing taxpayers billions of dollars annually.
Musk, who has championed automation and software-driven governance, has pushed for the overhaul of federal databases, some of which date back to the 1960s. The IRS, for example, still relies on legacy technology for tax processing, a point DOGE has used to justify its access requests.
The timing of the request comes as roughly 140 million Americans prepare to file their tax returns ahead of the April 15 deadline. The IRS has yet to comment on whether it will approve DOGE's request, but officials have indicated that any access granted would be subject to strict legal and security reviews.
Privacy advocates and opposition lawmakers have warned that granting DOGE access to IRS records could set a dangerous precedent, allowing political appointees to scrutinize private taxpayer data under the guise of government oversight. Legal experts have pointed to the IRS Restructuring and Reform Act of 1998, which prohibits unauthorized access to tax records and imposes severe penalties for violations.
