Lydia is a HuffPost senior reporter in her hometown of San Francisco and a graduate of the University of Southern California's Annenberg School of Journalism. She has worked at HuffPost since 2013, when she was selected for that year's class of editorial fellows.
Elon Musk ’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency is seeking access to IRS systems that hold heavily guarded personal taxpayer data, people familiar with the plans told multiple media outlets.
The department, referred to as DOGE, is reportedly pressuring the IRS to give it access to several programs, including the Integrated Data Retrieval System, or IDRS, which allows IRS employees to view specific taxpayer accounts showing Americans’ bank information, tax returns, Social Security numbers, addresses and employment information.
When contacted for comment about the effort from these outlets, White House deputy press secretary Harrison Fields said, “Waste, fraud, and abuse have been deeply entrenched in our broken system for far too long. It takes direct access to the system to identify and fix it. DOGE will continue to shine a light on the fraud they uncover as the American people deserve to know what their government has been spending their hard earned tax dollars on.
“IDRS users are authorized to access only those accounts required to accomplish their official duties,” the manual says. “IDRS users must not access their own or spouse’s account, the account of a friend, relative or co-worker, or any account in which they have a personal or financial interest. IRS prohibits employees from accessing tax account information to satisfy personal curiosity or for fraudulent purposes.
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