Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Department of Health and Human Services has granted Elon Musk’s team at the Department of Government Efficiency access to the database that tracks child support payments, according to a report.
The decision overruled the objections of career HHS employees who were concerned that the database contains sensitive personal income data about millions of Americans, four people with knowledge of the matter told The Washington Post.
Three of the inside sources said that one official who objected to giving access to Musk’s foot soldiers is no longer with the agency.
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One HHS official confirmed that Musk’s team was granted “read only” access to the system and was required to complete “necessary trainings” before using it. The database is overseen by the Administration for Children and Families within the HHS.
“ACF supports DOGE’s efforts to improve efficiency and data quality to reduce waste, fraud, and abuse in federal programs,” the official told the Post. “ACF will continue to assist DOGE in efforts to strengthen the programs it runs.”
DOGE, an unofficial agency launched by President Donald Trump and staffed by Musk’s handpicked young engineers, has previously sparked outcry for accessing other sensitive government systems, including the one that handles social security checks.
DOGE has not publicly responded to calls from Democrats to explain why it needs access to the database.
As part of its effort to root out wasteful government spending and fraud, the group has been trying to compare tax records against government benefits. The goal is to identify redundant payments.
While the IRS has so far not acceded to DOGE requests and turned over tax information, which is protected by federal law, the child support database could offer similar details, according to the Post.
The HHS and the White House did not immediately respond to the Daily Beast’s request for comment on the situation, and the Post‘s report.
Rep. Richard Neal, the top Democrat on the House Ways and Means Committee, slammed DOGE’s access to the database in a letter to Kennedy that was obtained by the Post.
“It is essentially an end-run around the confidential taxpayer information protected by the IRS,” the lawmaker wrote. “No one, including DOGE, should be rummaging around in the confidential information of private citizens at any agency where the protected information resides.”
