Committee on Ways and Means
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, D.C. 20515
Dear Committee Member:
On behalf of the millions of members and supporters of the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, I urge you to support H. Res. 195, a Resolution of Inquiry (ROI) requesting that information be provided to Congress regarding the Department of Government Efficiency’s (DOGE) access to the Social Security Administration (SSA). Members of the National Committee come from all walks of life and every political persuasion. What unites them is their passion for protecting and strengthening Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and the other programs that are so vitally important to older Americans.
SSA collects large amounts of extremely personal information on virtually every American citizen, including Social Security numbers, banking information, employment histories, and in many cases, troves of personal medical records. SSA’s collection and maintenance of this sensitive data is governed by numerous laws and policies, extensive processes are in place governing data sharing with other entities, and every employee is required annually to sign documents affirming they understand the penalties for unauthorized disclosure of this data and the limitations on sharing data with unauthorized people. The process for acquiring security clearances for those with access to the data is extensive, and access is limited to providing the ‘least privileged’ access based on a ‘need to know’ basis.
Senior Advisor to the President Elon Musk has insisted that the operations of his DOGE are “maximally transparent” and that every activity is “fully public” – statements repeated by President Trump himself. Mr. Musk further has stated multiple times that “transparency builds trust” and it is not enough to have someone “simply asserting trust”. The Resolution of Inquiry simply provides a mechanism for Congress to affirm these statements of transparency, rather than simply relying on assertions from Mr. Musk and postings on the DOGE website. Members of Congress have a constitutional responsibility that includes oversight of the actions of the Executive Branch, and exercising this responsibility requires clear and definitive knowledge of exactly what actions the Executive Branch is taking. This is especially true in the case of Social Security, as DOGE has access to the Agency’s massive amounts of extremely detailed personal and financial information on every American.
Whether you support or oppose the actions of Elon Musk and DOGE, members of this Committee should be able to agree on one thing: Congress must know what personal data DOGE has access to, why they are collecting the data, what security processes are in place to protect the data, and what the impact of the downsizing of SSA has had on the Agency’s ability to provide customer service to the American people. Supporting H. Res. 195 will buttress the declarations of ‘full transparency’ that Mr. Musk claims he is adhering to, and will allow Congress to exercise its Constitutional role in our government. Anything less should raise serious questions for the American people of what DOGE is hiding, and why Congress has opted to turn a blind eye to Mr. Musk’s activities.
We urge you to help provide peace of mind to your constituents and the American people by supporting H. Res. 195.
Sincerely,
Max Richtman
President and CEO