Six Agencies Hid DOGE Access Records From GAO Audit
The accountability gap: the Privacy Act and GAO's statutory access both assume a paper trail of who could see what and why; the agencies did not produce it, so neither the administration's assurances nor the critics' fears can be tested against the record.
The accountability gap: the Privacy Act and GAO's statutory access both assume a paper trail of who could see what and why; the agencies did not produce it, so neither the administration's assurances nor the critics' fears can be tested against the record.
GAO reported on September 29 that DOGE teams at four agencies reached more than 23 sensitive systems, but six agencies did not give Congress's auditor the records needed to show what that access allowed or whether security controls were followed.
Why it matters: Veterans, student borrowers and small business owners have records in the agencies that did not answer; the Privacy Act's accounting of disclosures is their only window, and it works only if the agencies kept it.
Date to watch: No date set in the public record: GAO's pending DOGE digital-footprint reviews at Treasury, SSA and OPM.
Sources:
- GAO-26-108192: DOGE access at 6 agencies (2026-09-29)
https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-26-108192 - 31 U.S.C. 716: GAO access to records (2026-01-01)
https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/31/716 - 5 U.S.C. 552a: the Privacy Act (2026-01-01)
https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/5/552a - Federal News Network: GAO Treasury DOGE report (2026-04-30)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W617RLtcfgg - PBS NewsHour: SSA court filing on DOGE data (2026-01-27)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmcgsMg194I - Ford: Statement on Signing the Privacy Act (1975-01-01)
https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/statement-signing-the-privacy-act-1974
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