DOGE has done major damage to the Social Security Administration (SSA) — and we’re still finding out just how bad things have gotten under Trump’s reign.

Recently, a whistleblower from the SSA reported that DOGE uploaded Social Security data to a cloud account that could expose the sensitive information of 300 million people, including health diagnoses, income, banking information, familial relationships and personal biographic data.¹ Days later, the whistleblower resigned due to the SSA’s “questionable and potentially unlawful data management practices.”²

The Trump administration has fired SSA staff, closed field offices, spread disinformation about widespread fraud, failed to keep our data secure, and put the very survival of Social Security at risk. Congress must launch a full investigation into the mishandling of Social Security to protect the benefits that keep millions out of poverty.

The courageous whistleblower, Charles Borges, had been the SSA's chief data officer (CDO) since January.

When he resigned he said, “I am put in the intolerable situation of not having visibility or oversight into activities that potentially violate statues and regulations which I, as the CDO, may legally or otherwise be held accountable for should I continue in this position. I cannot verify that agency data is being used in accordance with legal agreements or in compliance with federal requirements.”³

Trump’s cuts, firings, incompetence, and destructiveness could shatter Social Security — a program that 61% of people who receive benefits said that they could not survive without.⁴

Congress must do everything in their power to protect, restore, and fully fund Social Security. That includes launching a full-scale investigation into Trump officials and their catastrophic mismanagement of the SSA.

Thanks for taking action,

Joey and the team at Demand Progress

Sources:

1. AP, "After Trump’s DOGE action, 300 million people’s Social Security data is at risk, whistleblower says,” August 26, 2025.
2. Politico, "Social Security data chief resigns after whistleblower complaint over DOGE data access,” August 29, 2025.
3. Ibid.
4. Common Dreams, "Bessent Admits Trump Tax Scam Offers 'Backdoor for Privatizing Social Security',” July 30, 2025.

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