Terri Sewell tries to stop Elon Musk’s DOGE with new bill

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February 10, 2025

U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell (D-Birmingham) thinks Elon Musk has gone too far in his attempt to rid the federal government of waste, fraud, and abuse.

Sewell and House Democrats introduced the Taxpayer Data Protection Act Friday, which she says is ” a direct response to Elon Musk’s shameful invasion of Americans’ privacy.”

We will not stand by and let Donald Trump and Elon Musk violate your privacy and dismantle the programs you rely on in order to enrich themselves and their billionaire friends. pic.twitter.com/lOS86dPunO

— Rep. Terri A. Sewell (@RepTerriSewell) February 6, 2025

President Donald Trump has tasked Elon Musk to head the newly created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Musk’s team had been given ready-only access to the Treasury Department data, but U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of New York Paul Engelmayer issued a temporary restraining order Saturday.

“Elon Musk’s takeover of the federal payment system is a dangerous invasion of the privacy of every American, and House Democrats are taking action to stop it,” Sewell said. “The Taxpayer Data Protection Act is a critical part of our efforts to hold the Trump Administration accountable for its abuse of power and prevent unelected billionaires like Elon Musk from tampering with Americans’ Social Security and Medicare benefits.”

While Musk has received pushback from Democrats in Congress, Republican members of the delegation have been openly supportive of his actions up to this point.

“DOGE and [Elon Musk] are working to end woke, weaponized and wasteful government programs,” U.S. Rep. Barry Moore (R-Enterprise) said. “Pay attention to who is melting down because of this!”

DOGE and @elonmusk are working to end woke, weaponized and wasteful government programs.

Pay attention to who is melting down because of this!

— Rep. Barry Moore (@RepBarryMoore) February 5, 2025

According to Sewell’s press release, the bill will “will curb corruption and protect privacy by ensuring that only trusted public servants without conflicts of interest and with appropriate security clearances can access the Treasury Department’s most sensitive systems.”

Yaffee is a contributing writer to Yellowhammer News and hosts “The Yaffee Program” weekdays 9-11 a.m. on WVNN. You can follow him on X @Yaffee