Elon Musk's DOGE Seeks Access to IRS Database Housing Taxpayer Data of Every American

Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) seeks access to the IRS's Integrated Data Retrieval System (IDRS), which contains the personal tax information, bank records, and sensitive financial data of millions of Americans. The request alarms privacy experts and Democratic lawmakers including Senators Ron Wyden and Elizabeth Warren, who send a letter demanding copies of any memos that would grant access and warning that DOGE personnel 'meddling with IRS systems in the middle of tax filing season could cause breakdowns that may delay issuance of tax refunds indefinitely.' Attorneys general from 14 states file a lawsuit challenging DOGE's authority. The IRS simultaneously begins laying off thousands of probationary workers in the middle of tax season. While a federal judge partially blocks DOGE's access to Treasury payment systems, the IRS data request represents one of the most significant privacy breaches of the Trump administration, giving the wealthiest man in the world unfettered access to the private financial records of every American taxpayer.