Senate Democrat: DOGE has ‘burrowed into the private information of every American’

Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) said that the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), helmed by billionaire Elon Musk, has “burrowed into the private information of every American," as the advisory group works to cut federal spending to further President Trump's agenda.

Coons joined CNN on Thursday, where he was asked about Trump’s proposal to take over Gaza and rebuild the region.

“Where would the tens of billions of dollars and the expertise come from?” Coons said about the president's proposal. “If every Arab and Muslim country in the region forcefully opposes the idea of relocation Palestinians and would not support this and they’ve publicly said so, where would all this money to rebuild Gaza come from?”

The Delaware Democrat argued that the idea of reconstructing Gaza is “not a serious proposal.” He pointed to the Trump administration's perceived dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) — the agency that would likely be responsible for an international rebuild.

The president has received sharp criticism over the idea, with some Democrats calling it “ethnic cleansing.” Rep. Al Green (D-Texas) introduced articles of impeachment over the matter, and some Republicans, including Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), have pushed back on the Gaza takeover suggestion.

“It’s a distraction so we’re not paying attention to the fact that they’ve burrowed in these DOGE folks, under Elon Musk’s direction,” Coons said, despite the president doubling down on the proposal in a post on Truth Social.

Over the weekend, officials with DOGE gained access to the Treasury Department’s federal payment system. Democrats showed shock and concern, with some highlighting that Americans’ confidential, sensitive information had potentially been compromised.

The Treasury Department systems control $6 trillion annually. It distributes funds for Social Security, Medicare, salaries for federal workers, payments for grant recipients and government contractors, and tax refunds.

“They’ve burrowed into the private information of every American, something we should all be alarmed about and should be blocked in federal courts,” Coons said.

The Justice Department agreed Wednesday to block how many people have access to the systems.