Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency is reportedly requesting access to a highly-classified Internal Revenue Service (IRS) system that houses sensitive financial information for millions of taxpayers.
Citing sources familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity, The Washington Post reports that the IRS is considering DOGE’s unprecedented request through a memorandum of understanding, which would give the department broad access to IRS “systems, property, and datasets.”
One IRS system that DOGE could have access to, the Integrated Data Retrieval System (IDRS), has sparked particular concern among agency officials. The IDRS allows agency employees to access sensitive taxpayer information, like personal identification numbers and bank information for review purposes. It also allows them to update records and to issue notices.
Access to the IDRS is heavily controlled within the agency, as taxpayers whose information is wrongfully reviewed or disclosed are legally entitled to monetary damages. DOGE’s request to this specific system has consequently raised red flags among the IRS, according to The Post’s sources.
The outlet additionally noted that it remained unclear if DOGE had been granted access to the system by Sunday evening.
A Trump administration official told The Post that DOGE needed this one-of-a-kind access to “eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse, and improve government performance to better serve the people.”
They added that DOGE’s mission is to “bring much-needed efficiency to our bureaucracy” and that its request was being carried out “legally and with the appropriate security clearances.”
The IRS and Treasury Department did not immediately respond to the Daily Beast’s request for comment.
The Post adds that a lot of the IRS’ technology is now considered antiquated and overhauling factors like its coding systems are part of DOGE’s broader mission to streamline and modernize government. Experts told the outlet, however, that it’s “highly unusual” to allow political appointees to access its systems—let alone taxpayer’s personal data.
“The information that the IRS has is incredibly personal,” Nina Olson, a former taxpayer advocate, told The Post. “Someone with access to it could use it and make it public in a way, or do something with it, or share it with someone else who shares it with someone else, and your rights get violated.”
Earlier this month, DOGE requested access to the Treasury Department’s federal payment system.
The move has since been temporarily blocked by a federal judge.
