Leader Schumer Floor Remarks On President Trump Granting DOGE Unprecedented Access To The Treasury Department’s Most Sensitive Information

Washington, D.C. – Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) today spoke on the Senate floor on DOGE gaining unprecedented access to the Treasury Department’s payment systems, including the most sensitive information such as Social Security and tax refund data. Below are Senator Schumer’s remarks, which can also be viewed here:

Last Friday, DOGE forcefully gained access to the Treasury Department’s payment systems, and to the most sensitive information of virtually every U.S. citizen.

Donald Trump basically handed DOGE the Social Security data of virtually every American citizen.

He gave DOGE access to America’s personal tax refund data.

He gave DOGE access to people’s Medicare and Medicaid benefits, disability payments data, veteran benefit data.

Worst of all, we don’t know what DOGE intends to do with this information.

If you want to know how an unelected shadow government operates, look no further than DOGE. DOGE staffers – whomever they are – now have unprecedented access to the most sensitive payment data in the entire federal government. Unprecedented access, with no transparency, with no guardrails.

And guess what? The one independent watchdog who could have provided oversight was fired by Donald Trump over a week ago.

The Treasury Secretary must revoke DOGE’s access to the Treasury payment systems at once.

If he does not, Congress must immediately act.

That is why Leader Jeffries and I will work together on legislation to stop unlawful meddling in the Treasury Department’s payment systems. We must protect people’s Social Security payments, Medicare payments, and tax refunds from any possible tampering by DOGE or other unauthorized entities, and that’s what Leader Jeffries and I will work to do.

Let’s be very clear: DOGE is not a real government agency.

It has no authority to make spending decisions.

It has no authority to shut programs down or to ignore federal law.

DOGE is operating, in essence, as a shadow government without accountability or transparency or regard for the rule of law.

The American people did not vote to let DOGE get a hold of people’s Social Security numbers.

To give DOGE a choke hold on Treasury payments is outlandishly dangerous. It’s like letting a tiger into a petting zoo and hoping for the best.

It’s impossible to overstate that this is playing with fire. The Bureau of the Fiscal Service – which oversees these Treasury Department payments – executes over one billion transactions a year worth over $6 trillion dollars.

If these payments were ever intentionally or even accidentally halted or manipulated it could paralyze the economy if we’re not careful.

One mistake, and people’s Social Security benefits could freeze.

Disability payments, aid to veterans, loans to small businesses – they could all be endangered.

The Treasury Department is already using extraordinary measures to ensure we do not default on the debt. If DOGE’s careless meddling caused us to default, it could trigger a financial crisis around the world.

This all begs an obvious question – what does DOGE really want with all this data?

What possible reason is there to give right-wing extremists people’s Social Security payments, Medicare payments, and personal information?

Will DOGE try to halt Social Security or Medicare or Medicaid? God forbid.

Will DOGE cut funding to programs approved by Congress that Donald Trump decides he doesn’t like? What about cancer research? Food banks? School lunches? Veterans aid? Literacy programs? Small business loans?  

How do we know DOGE won’t use its access to the Treasury to enrich Donald Trump’s billionaire friends? What if they go after the business competition of DOGE’s leadership? It is laughably naïve to look at the wealthy billionaires who run DOGE, whom make enormous sums through government contracts, and take them at their word that all they care about is efficiency. Give me a break.

The immense danger is that we have no clarity, no explanation, no details for what DOGE is truly after. The potential for corruption is too great.

The Treasury Secretary must revoke DOGE’s access to the Treasury payment systems at once. Democrats in the House and Senate – Congressman Jefferies and myself – will introduce legislation to take action.

We must halt this unlawful and dangerous power grab. DOGE has no business anywhere near the federal government’s payment systems, nor Americans’ private data.

###