As a former senior Social Security Administration (SSA) official is claiming that the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) cut cybersecurity and privacy corners when accessing sensitive data at the agency, a Federal judge is requiring DOGE to take steps to release its internal documents that will shed more light on how the White House department operates.
A group of labor unions filed an amended complaint and motion for emergency relief on Friday to halt DOGE’s access to confidential, sensitive SSA data regarding millions of Americans. The action builds upon a lawsuit the plaintiffs filed on Feb. 21.
Among the new court documents filed on Friday is a declaration from Tiffany Flick, a former SSA employee who most recently served as the acting chief of staff to former acting chief of SSA Michelle Young. Flick has served at SSA for almost 30 years.
In her declaration, Flick explains how DOGE made “unprecedented” requests to access SSA’s systems and data, which she said are highly sensitive. Flick said DOGE employees pressured her and Young to provide them with “immediate access” to all SSA systems, yet were “evasive” when asked for a reason why.
“I witnessed a disregard for critical processes – like providing the ‘least privilege’ access based on a ‘need to know’ – and a lack of interest in understanding our systems and programs,” Flick wrote.
“That combined with the significant loss of expertise as more and more personnel leave, have me seriously concerned that SSA programs will continue to function and operate without disruption,” she added.
Flick said it appeared to her that the newly minted SSA Chief Information Officer (CIO) Michael Russo “was actually reporting to DOGE” instead of King, as the CIO normally would. Flick said the CIO “seemed completely focused on questions from DOGE officials based on the general myth of supposed widespread Social Security fraud, rather than facts.”
Under pressure from Russo, Flick said she and other SSA leadership were asked to quickly onboard a DOGE software engineer, Akash Bobba, and give him full access to SSA data.
However, Flick said that Russo “never provided the kind of detail that SSA typically requires to justify this level of access.”
Flick and King both left the agency when the White House announced that King was being replaced by a mid-level employee, Leland Dudek. At the time, Flick said that Dudek was on administrative leave while an investigation was conducted “regarding allegations of multiple inappropriate actions” while assisting DOGE.
Upon her departure, Flick said that Dudek gave Bobba and the DOGE team access to “at least” the Enterprise Data Warehouse – which contains personal information on anyone with a Social Security number – and possibly other databases.
“A disregard for our careful privacy systems and processes now threatens the security [of] the data SSA houses about millions of Americans. The stakes are high,” Flick said.
Separately, just three days after Flick filed her declaration, a Federal judge ruled that due to DOGE’s “unusual secrecy” and immense power, it will need to publicly release its internal documents.
In a 37-page opinion published on Monday, U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper said that DOGE, formally known as the U.S. Digital Service (USDS), will need to produce its records under the Freedom of Information Act.
“The authority exercised by USDS across the Federal government and the dramatic cuts it has apparently made with no congressional input appear to be unprecedented,” Cooper wrote.
“The rapid pace of [DOGE’s] actions, in turn, requires the quick release of information about its structure and activities,” he added. “That is especially so given the secrecy with which [DOGE] has operated.”
Under court order, the judge said DOGE must “begin producing documents on a rolling basis as soon as practicable.”
The ruling marks a significant milestone, as the public may be able to learn the inner workings of DOGE.
For example, it could help shine a light on the role Elon Musk has in DOGE. President Donald Trump tapped Musk to lead DOGE, but the White House has since backpedaled that decision in court, claiming that Musk is not the head of DOGE but a “senior adviser to the president.”
