U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono, along with Senators Alex Padilla, Peter Welch, and nine other colleagues from states affected by disasters, have sought clarification from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) regarding a potential security breach involving Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). The Senators are concerned about DOGE reportedly accessing sensitive personal data of disaster victims.
In their letter to Cameron Hamilton, Senior Official Performing the Duties of FEMA Administrator, the Senators requested information on FEMA's data protection procedures and whether DOGE agents complied with federal law. They emphasized that disaster victims provided their personal information to FEMA expecting it would not be shared with "unvetted, unaccountable DOGE agents."
The letter highlighted the increasing number of natural disasters in recent years and stressed the need for reforms at FEMA. "Mr. Musk has stated his desire to eliminate waste at FEMA," wrote the Senators. They acknowledged bureaucratic challenges in disaster recovery but argued that such reforms do not justify DOGE's alleged invasive measures.
"When disaster strikes, Americans should have confidence the government will safeguard their data," they stated, expressing concern over reports suggesting a breach of trust and possible violation of federal privacy laws.
The Senators posed several questions to understand the extent of any data breach and FEMA’s compliance with federal law:
1. A list of individuals authorized by FEMA to access disaster victims' data between January 20 and February 14, 2025.
2. Details on what these individuals are authorized to do with the data and what types were obtained.
3. Procedures followed by FEMA to protect this data from misuse.
4. Information on how many Americans' personally identifiable data was accessed by DOGE-affiliated individuals and details on their vetting process.
Senators Richard Blumenthal, Martin Heinrich, Amy Klobuchar, Ed Markey, Jeff Merkley, Bernie Sanders, Adam Schiff, Ron Wyden, and Chris Van Hollen also signed the letter.