DOGE is trying to access the IRS’s data on millions of taxpayers

The Department of Government Efficiency has requested access to the Internal Revenue Service’s taxpayer data system — potentially giving it access to highly sensitive information, including Social Security Numbers and tax returns — according to a report from CNN. DOGE has also launched an IRS-specific account on X and is soliciting “insights on finding and fixing waste, fraud, and abuse” within the agency. [Media: https://twitter.com/DOGE_IRS/status/1891521456179184079?mx=2] The New York Times reports that DOGE is seeking, and will likely get, access to systems including the Integrated Data Retrieval System (IDRS), which contains personally identifying information on millions of taxpayers, including bank account numbers, Social Security numbers, addresses, tax returns, and more. Access to the IDRS is highly restricted within the IRS, and improper access can be punished by fines and imprisonment. “Waste, fraud and abuse have been deeply entrenched in our broken system for far too long,” Harrison Fields, White House deputy press secretary, said in a statement to multiple outlets. “It takes direct access to the system to identify and fix it.” Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Ron Wyden (D-OR) sent a letter to the IRS commissioner on Monday requesting that the IRS “immediately disclose to the Senate Committee on Finance the full extent of the potential access to IRS systems and data granted to DOGE team members so that the Committee can address any efforts by DOGE personnel to gain access to taxpayer records at the IRS, which may constitute criminal violations of federal privacy laws.” The Times also reports that the IRS is planning to lay off thousands of employees in the lead-up to the service’s busiest time of year. Tax Day in the US this year is April 15th.