WASHINGTON (AP) – Democrats push back against Elon Musk’s opponents Government Efficiency Bureau As they turn their attention to the education sector, lawmakers are raising concerns about Doge’s access to internal systems that contain personal information about tens of millions of Americans.
In a letter to the proxy education secretary, Democrats are trying to intervene by Doge increasing access to student loan databases and other systems. Democrats fear they can lay the foundation for a takeover similar to the attempt to close masks US International Development Organization. The letter called for details about Doge’s work and vowed to fight attempts to close the education sector.
Democrats, including California Rep. Mark Takano, were scheduled to appear at the department’s Washington headquarters on Friday to request a meeting with leaders appointed by President Donald Trump.
The department is confused as Republican Trump is trying to abolish it. The White House is considering it Presidential Order It directs the Education Secretary to cut the department as much as possible and urge Congress to end it entirely. There were dozens of employees It will be placed on paid leave With little explanation, Doge workers began scrutinizing department records as they tried to cut their spending.
According to two people with knowledge of the issue, Musk’s Doge team has already obtained personal information on millions of students and parents. One of them, an employee in the department, said a Doge representative had requested access more than a week ago. A third party said on Friday that Doge will allow administrators to access the department’s website, allowing Musk workers to change the text on any page or take the site offline.
People spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation.
The federal lawsuit filed Friday seeks to block access to Doge’s student financial aid system, stating it violates millions of federal government’s privacy rights. Student loan borrower. It was submitted by the Advocacy Group Student Defense on behalf of the University of California Student Association.
Doge now has access to student loan borrowers’ Social Security numbers, driver’s license numbers, date of birth and contact information. The database also contains information about the parents of dependent loan applicants, including citizenship status and income information.
The lawsuit says it is a “huge and unprecedented” privacy invasion of more than 42 million people whose personal data is stored in the federal student aid system. It says that when those people applied for federal loans and grants or filled out, they trusted the department with their information. FAFSA Student Aid Form.
The Education Department said it is helping Doge return to face-to-face work, reinventing the hiring process to restore employee accountability and focus on benefits. “Nothing has happened inappropriate or malicious,” he said.
“Doge employees are federal employees,” the department said in a statement. “They are sworn in, have the necessary background checks and clearances and are focused on a more cost-effective, effective and accountable department for taxpayers.”
Trump campaigned on the promise to close the department, claiming it was permeated by “extremists, enthusiasts and Marxists.” He nominated professional wrestling wrestling magnate Linda McMahon as his education secretary, and said at a press conference Tuesday he hopes she will “put herself out of work.”
But Trump’s pledge clashes with the reality that the department’s existence and the majority of its spending is ordered by Congress. It is unclear whether Trump will be able to gather political support and abolish the sector. It is unknown that although some Republicans have attempted from time to time, they have never gained widespread political popularity.
The White House mitigated rhetoric on Thursday, saying that Press Secretary Caroline Leavbit and his team were looking for an option to “not completely abolish the size of the Department of Education.”
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