Cybersecurity Policy Report, DOGE Activities at SBA Undermine Data Privacy, Security, Sen. Markey Says, (Aug 4, 2025)
The White House Department of Government Efficiency has accessed and misused sensitive personal and business data held by the Small Business Administration, according to Sen. Ed Markey (D., Mass.), ranking member of the Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee.
“Recent reporting suggests that my worst fears about the collection and nefarious repurposing of Americans’ private, personal information by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) have been realized,” Sen. Markey said in a letter sent Friday to SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler.
“Under your watch, unvetted DOGE employees with no background in data security protocols appear not only to have gained access to the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) information systems but used that access to infiltrate the National Finance Center (NFC), which holds personally identifiable information (PII) collected from several federal agencies,” he said, citing reports in Wired magazine.
“This breach of public trust at the SBA is especially disturbing given the unique sensitivity of the PII the agency collects from small business owners seeking to utilize its programs and services such as, according to Wired, ‘employer identification numbers (EINs), North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) numbers, and Social Security numbers,’” he told Ms. Loeffler.
“DOGE is stealing data and potentially spying on Americans. Federal auditors unequivocally characterized DOGE’s operations not as proper audits but as a ‘heist,’ warning that ‘none of them have any auditing background, none have any certifications, none have any clearances.’ The auditors raised alarms that DOGE may be attempting to exfiltrate and consolidate sensitive PII—including Social Security, tax, immigration, and labor records—to build a comprehensive ‘master’ database on Americans,” he added.
He asked Ms. Loeffler to provide details by this Friday on DOGE activities at SBA, including whether DOGE personnel had created a centralized database that includes SBA data, whether SBA officials vetted or supervised DOGE personnel assigned to the agency, and whether SBA network administrators had noticed any suspicious attempts to access SBA systems from overseas.
“Let me be clear: DOGE is not a legitimate government agency,” Sen. Markey said. “Under no circumstances should any DOGE staffers have access to small business owners’ PII. As SBA Administrator, you are accountable to Congress and to the American people. Concealing what DOGE did at SBA is dangerous, unpatriotic, and an abdication of your responsibility.”
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