To the editor:
Our group from Missouri’s U.S. House District 8 is very concerned about the recent activities of Elon Musk and the so-called Department of Government Efficiency he leads. Rep. Jason Smith and Sens. Josh Hawley and Eric Schmitt are telling us next to nothing about DOGE’s activities, many of which have been deemed likely illegal or unconstitutional.
On Feb. 26, we asked Smith to provide information about any “waste and fraud” potentially uncovered in the 8th District by DOGE, but received no reply.
Transparency is key in a democratic government, yet we know almost no facts about the Musk/DOGE efforts to destroy or diminish our congressionally established institutions. The information DOGE posts on nongovernmental social media is extremely unreliable as it constantly changes, often to a huge degree.
Musk, a wealthy immigrant and tech mogul, and DOGE, a small group of tech-oriented people, have recklessly accessed sensitive government systems despite their lack of government experience.
Musk and/or DOGE members have accessed U.S. Social Security Administration systems containing private personal and financial data. Think Social Security numbers, bank account numbers, mental and physical health information and income history. This activity had to be halted through a temporary restraining order issued in a lawsuit filed by groups representing regular citizens (state, county and municipal employees, as well as retirees and teachers) because DOGE can provide no evidence that widespread fraud in the systems exists.
On the national security front, cuts made by Musk and DOGE to the U.S. Agency for International Development have endangered Americans by cutting health and food aid for developing countries and ceasing funding for important avenues of cooperation. These cuts
increase risks for destabilizing global migration and for the occurrence of infectious diseases here.
Furthermore, Musk recently engaged in a Pentagon meeting touted beforehand to be with the Joint Chiefs about highly sensitive information regarding China, where a good portion of Teslas are built, but after much outcry, the visit was changed to be a meeting with Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth to discuss DOGE instead.
Musk and his companies have a history of untrustworthiness, facing lawsuits for misleading investors and securities fraud. His conflicts of interest are vast, with billions in government contracts and a desire for tax and regulatory advantages, potentially explaining his aim to dismantle key regulatory agencies.
DOGE’s potential harvesting of our personal data would enable any artificial intelligence apps Musk’s tech companies might develop to be trained by our data, posing risks to our personal security and giving his companies an entirely unfair leg up in any attempt to apply AI to government functions.
By thus far refusing to demand transparency from Musk and DOGE, our elected officials are shirking their legislative oversight responsibilities and putting themselves above their constituents, likely because they fear being “primaried” or de-financed. Our group feels this extensive pattern of secret pillaging by Musk and DOGE must stop to protect the personal and national security of all U.S. taxpayers.
Kathy Love,
Voters for Informed Action,
Rolla
