Congress
GOP privacy hawks brush off concerns about DOGE data dives
Some of the Senate’s most notorious GOP privacy hawks are shrugging off moves by Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency to access Americans’ sensitive taxpayer data.
It’s a sharp turn for lawmakers who often carp about intrusions on individual privacy, and just the latest example of how Republicans are willing to forgive an unelected billionaire set on shattering institutional norms.
In this case, Musk is seeking to give his team the ability to look up personal information on an IRS system that contains broad individual financial records along with information from the Social Security Administration.
Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri, a frequent critic of Big Tech’s use of Americans’ personal data, said Tuesday night that DOGE employees were required to “follow all federal laws related to privacy and so forth” and he would be “shocked” if they were skirting those rules.
“I assume and expect that they are adhering to whatever the rules are for their level of clearance and their level of government employee and their designation,” Hawley said, adding that he did not know the security clearance status of DOGE’s staff. “So long as they’re adhering to those, that’s fine.”
But DOGE’s move to access IRS data has prompted real questions about its lawfulness — and a legal challenge. Democrats have raised alarm that the Trump administration could be looking to leverage government databases against Americans whose activities they oppose, while a group of organizations on Monday filed a lawsuit that would block Musk and his associates from obtaining information from the tax agency.
The White House has argued DOGE is simply trying to prevent fraud. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, in an interview with Fox News, said Musk’s team was working within “guardrails” to modernize “an outdated IT system,” and Americans “don’t have to be concerned about any of this.”
Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, another defender of individual privacy rights and opponent of government surveillance efforts, also appeared like Hawley to be taking the administration at its word that there was nothing out of the ordinary taking place.
“I think anybody who looks at government data is bound by rules on privacy — I don’t know how this would be any different than someone else looking at it,” said Paul in an interview. “All the rules of privacy still apply. If they’re breaking any rules, they’ll get in trouble, but you have to look at the data to find the problems.”
Senate Majority Leader John Thune conceded that “there certainly are concerns when it comes to the privacy of personal information,” but also said, “I don’t think it’s unusual that a White House or administration … would have access to these type of records.”
One Senate Republican, Tommy Tuberville of Alabama, cast aside concerns around privacy for the sake of the administration’s ability to “get rid of all the fraud … instead of worrying about our information.”
Jordain Carney contributed to this report.
Congress
Johnson pledges House probe into Tesla threats
Speaker Mike Johnson on Wednesday said Congress will probe “domestic terrorism” attacks targeting the Tesla car brand after vehicles and storefronts were vandalized.
“Congress will investigate the sources of these attacks and help the DOJ & FBI ensure those responsible are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” Johnson said in a post on X.
Johnson’s announcement is the latest attempt by Republican leaders to rally around Department of Government Efficiency head Elon Musk after Tesla’s stock price took a dive in recent days and the company faced a wave of attacks and heated demonstrations. Trump said this week he would buy a Tesla in support of Musk.
Johnson did not explain what committees would be empowered to lead the investigations. Spokespeople for Johnson and House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Hailey Fuchs contributed to this report.
Congress
Jeanne Shaheen won’t seek reelection
New Hampshire Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen will not seek reelection, she announced Wednesday, becoming the third Senate Democrat to announce their retirement ahead of the midterms.
Shaheen, who is 78 and was first elected to the Senate in 2008, said she made the “difficult” decision to step aside: “It’s just time.”
“There are urgent challenges ahead, both here at home and around the world, and while I’m not seeking reelection, believe me, I am not retiring,” Shaheen said in a video.
New Hampshire will be a critical battleground in the fight over control for the Senate, but it was already a challenging map for Democrats to retake the majority even before the retirements.
Congress
Capitol agenda: Johnson puts Senate Dems in a corner
House Republicans passed their stopgap funding bill Tuesday evening, which means Senate Democrats can now no longer delay their long-dreaded decision: Do they give up a chance to stand up to Donald Trump or let the government shut down in three days?
Democrats plan to huddle around lunchtime to try and hash out their strategy for confronting the government funding fight. They have already held one “vigorous discussion,” and even the chattiest senators emerged from their Tuesday meeting tight-lipped about their strategy. Many declined to say if they were unified in their approach.
They don’t appear to be. Republicans need at least eight Democrats to vote in favor of the six-month stopgap, given GOP Sen. Rand Paul’s expected opposition. Sen. John Fetterman is expected to cross party lines. But most of the 20 Democrats we surveyed in the minutes after the continuing resolution passed the House were noncommittal — particularly among the swing-state set.
A few are varying shades of “no.” Sen. Jeff Merkley said he will oppose it, while Sen. Richard Blumenthal is a “likely no.” Sen. Alex Padilla said he would not be in favor unless it offered California disaster aid after the Los Angeles wildfires.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer hasn’t said a word publicly since the House vote. Sen. Elizabeth Warren issued a charge of her own: “Democrats in the House have shown us they are united,” she told reporters after all but one House Democrat voted against the stopgap. “Why should it be different in the Senate?”
But Senate Democrats are agonizing over a few things: Getting blamed for the shutdown, especially after House GOP leaders sent members home for recess, is a big consideration. And they’re worried it would give Trump — who’s set to be on Blue Light News today for the annual Friends of Ireland luncheon — unchecked authority to shutter even more parts of the federal government. That’s an especially fresh concern after his administration moved Tuesday to gut the Education Department.
“A shutdown is uncharted territory when you’ve got an administration that, at least in some ways, probably would welcome a shutdown because that would give the president almost unlimited power in deciding who’s essential, who’s nonessential, holding up agencies,” Sen. Angus King, an independent who caucuses with Democrats, told reporters. “That’s the dilemma that’s being discussed.”
What else we’re watching:
- Dem retreat: House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries is looking to get his caucus on the same page at their annual retreat that starts Wednesday, especially after a disjointed response to Trump’s joint address to Congress last week. Democrats’ challenge: How do they channel the anti-Trump energy of the Democratic base — and many of their members — while calibrating their message to the swing voters they need to win?
- Johnson and Thune meeting: Johnson met with the Senate majority leader on Tuesday as the top congressional Republicans look to hash out their other big problem: a path forward for Trump’s sweeping domestic policy agenda. “Both of us understand we’ve got to get this done. We’re trying to figure out the best way to do that,” Thune said afterward.
- Visa revisions: House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan is eyeing his party’s flagship immigration bill as the legislative vehicle for giving Musk the overhaul he wants on high-skilled visa rules. Musk has pushed for increasing immigration levels for those with expertise in science, technology and engineering.
Nicholas Wu, Brendan Bordelon and Hailey Fuchs contributed to this report.
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