Washington, D.C. (February 4, 2025)— Today, Rep. Jamie Raskin, Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee; Rep. Jim Himes, Ranking Member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence; Rep. Gregory W. Meeks, Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee; Rep. Adam Smith, Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee; Rep. Gerry Connolly, Ranking Member of the House Oversight Committee; Rep. Richard E. Neal, Ranking Member of the House Ways and Means Committee; and Rep. Maxine Waters, Ranking Member of the House Financial Services Committee wrote a letter to President Donald Trump requesting information on reported attempts by the “Department of Government Efficiency,” or “DOGE” task force to access classified and sensitive information without proper clearance, and expressing concerns that their behavior could pose enormous risks to our national security.
The Ranking Members wrote: “We are deeply concerned over press reports indicating that individuals associated with the ‘Department of Government Efficiency,’ or ‘DOGE,’ task force have demanded entry to federal government facilities, including access to classified spaces and sensitive government data and information systems. Reporting indicates that these individuals have sought access to government facilities and data in a highly irregular fashion, putting at risk sensitive data and classified information. It is also unclear what such actions and information have to do with achieving the intended purpose of the DOGE.”
“The events at USAID are particularly troubling, but they are not an isolated issue,” continued the Ranking Members. “The Executive Order empowering DOGE appears to envision and authorize DOGE ‘teams’ at all Executive Branch agencies, to include Department of Defense, State Department, Department of Justice, and the Intelligence Community. These agencies all hold large volumes of classified information, and bypassing established safeguards to protect such information could irreparably damage national security. Whatever DOGE’s mission entails, a highly irregular process in which security officials are threatened and punished for following laws and policies designed to protect sensitive information is unacceptable and dangerous.”
Click here to read the letter.
