Top House Democrats seek DOGE details under Freedom of Information Act

The House Judiciary and Oversight committees sent a sweeping information request to the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) on Tuesday, seeking to root out Elon Musk's role and the extent its employees have gained access to sensitive databases.

Rep. Jamie Raskin (Md.) and Rep. Gerry Connolly (Va.), the top Democrats on the respective panels, described DOGE as being “cloaked in secrecy” and “evidently ha[ving] broad powers to shutter federal agencies, fire federal workers, and access the most sensitive government databases.”

“We write today to demand that, pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), you provide us, the U.S. Congress and the American people, with clear answers to basic questions about DOGE, including who is in charge, the scope of its authority over federal agencies and workers, what government data it has access to, and whether DOGE is serving the interests of the American people or the interests of Mr. Musk’s companies and his foreign customers,” they wrote in a letter to the agency.

It’s unusual for lawmakers to file a FOIA request to gain information, but Republicans on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee blocked a move from Democrats on the panel in February to subpoena Musk.

Raskin and Connolly said the decision came after the Trump administration has refused to respond to numerous requests for information.

The lawmakers highlighted contradictory statements from President Trump and Justice Department lawyers in court as to the role played by Musk and his power in the federal government.

That detail has become central in numerous court battles over whether Musk and DOGE have the authority to carry out numerous actions directed by the fledgling department.

“These contradictory and confusing statements leave everything perfectly unclear except the inescapable conclusion that President Trump, Elon Musk, and the Administration have been consistently lying to the courts or to the American people, or both, about who is in charge of DOGE,” the lawyers wrote.

An accompanying 15-page FOIA request asks for detailed personnel records of all employees of DOGE and their status — some are volunteers, while Musk has been designated a special government employee.

It also lists more than 40 employees of DOGE — asking for any conflicts of interest they may have and any nondisclosure agreements they may have signed. A more specific request includes a list of companies owned by Musk, noting his companies “receive billions of dollars in government contracts and subsidies.”

The request also includes a far-reaching request about the “dismantling, elimination, and/or reduction of the personnel and/or operations” and a number of agencies touched by DOGE, as well as the canceling of federal grants and leases.

It also asks for information on all plans to fire probationary federal workers and ignite reductions in force across government.

The lawmakers request a breakdown of what federal databases employees have been given access to as well as any memorandums of understanding signed between DOGE and other federal agencies.

It also asks for a list of “all applications (including deleted apps) downloaded and installed on computers of individuals” of DOGE employees and any instructions they’ve been given regarding the use of artificial intelligence.

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