Latest news with #DOGEBROSAct
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
NM Dem U.S. Sen. Luján co-sponsors DOGE BROS Act
Congressional Democrats say the DOGE BROS Act is needed to counter Elon Musk and DOGE's efforts to access individuals' personal information. (Photo by) Several Congressional Democrats on Tuesday, including U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), announced a new bill aimed at countering what they describe as Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency's 'continued efforts to improperly access' individuals' 'personally identifiable information,' such as names, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses and Social Security numbers. The Defending Our Government's Electronic data: Bolstering Responsible Oversight & Safeguards (DOGE BROS) Act would increase five penalties for violation of federal privacy laws. As Source reported this week, the New Mexico Health Care Authority recently informed the contractor who manages payments on its behalf that it did not consent to such information being shared with the federal government, which requested the data. The United States Department of Agriculture, earlier this month, wrote a letter to all U.S. states asking them to provide the 'names, dates of birth, personal addresses used, and Social Security numbers' of anyone who is receiving or has applied to receive benefits under the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP). 'From day one, Elon Musk's DOGE has taken a wrecking ball to the federal government and critical services for the American people, all while carelessly pursuing their sensitive personal data,' Luján said in a statement. 'Congress must do more to protect that information and keep it out of the wrong hands.' Specifically, the law proposes the following penalty increases for improper disclosure: identifiable information in any agency record from its current penalty of up to $5,000 to up to $30,000 information obtained from a computer in any U.S. agency or department without proper authorization from $250,000 up to $750,000 any Social Security or Medicare data would increase from $10,000 to $25,000 tax return information, which now carries a penalty up to $5,000, would increase up to $25,000 census data, now with a penalty up to $5,000, would increase up to $25,000 Lead sponsor U.S. Sen. Mark Warren (D-V.A.) said in a statement, 'As unvetted and unqualified DOGE employees continue to recklessly access the sensitive personal information of millions of Americans, it's important that we take steps to better protect this data. For too long, our privacy laws have sat outdated, barely serving as a deterrent for improper handling or potential release of information. This legislation would enforce that privacy must be a priority when handling the data of the American public.' Other sponsors — all Democrats — include: U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-V.A.), Chris Van Hollen (D-M.D.), Angela Alsobrooks (D-M.D.), Adam Schiff (D-C.A.), and Peter Welch (D-V.T.)
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Democrats Unveil DOGE BROS Act To Punish People For Meddling In Private Data
WASHINGTON — Senate Democrats unveiled a new bill Tuesday aimed at raising the stakes for punishment of Elon Musk and his team at the so-called Department of Government Efficiency for improperly accessing millions of Americans' personal data held by the federal government. The bill — named the Defending Our Government's Electronic data: Bolstering Responsible Oversight & Safeguards Act, or the DOGE BROS Act — would drastically increase penalties for accessing sensitive government data without authorization. Led by Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), the legislation is a direct response to DOGE's monthslong efforts to gain nearly unlimited access to all kinds of government information, including student loan borrowers' sensitive data, people's Social Security data, heavily guarded IRS data and immigration-related data held by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. The bill specifically increases the caps on five penalties for violating federal privacy laws: from $250,000 to $750,000 for accessing information from any federal agency via a computer; from $5,000 to $30,000 for accessing personally identifiable data contained within any agency record; from $10,000 to $25,000 for accessing Social Security or Medicare data; from $5,000 to $25,000 for accessing tax return data; and from $5,000 to $25,000 for accessing census data. 'As unvetted and unqualified DOGE employees continue to recklessly access the sensitive personal information of millions of Americans, it's important that we take steps to better protect this data,' Warner, who is the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, said in a statement. 'For too long, our privacy laws have sat outdated, barely serving as a deterrent for improper handling or potential release of information.' 'This legislation would enforce that privacy must be a priority when handling the data of the American public,' said Warner, who is also a member of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. Co-sponsors on the bill include Democratic Sens. Tim Kaine (Va.), Angela Alsobrooks (Md.), Chris Van Hollen (Md.), Adam Schiff (Calif.), Ben Ray Lujan (N.M.) and Peter Welch (Vt.). Here's a copy of the DOGE BROS Act: The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Barring something extraordinary happening, the bill is not likely to advance in the Republican-controlled Senate. But it's possible Democrats could try to attach it to other must-pass legislation and force an up-or-down vote on it, which could make at least some GOP senators squirm in having to effectively defend Musk and DOGE, both of which are unpopular.
