The Internal Revenue Service is preparing to grant a member of Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency access to sensitive taxpayer data. The IRS maintains highly confidential financial data on millions of Americans, including tax returns, Social Security numbers, banking details, and employment records. The Musk-led DOGE initiative claims its goal is to root out waste, fraud, and abuse within the government, but critics argue this level of access breaches legal and ethical boundaries. The push for greater oversight of the IRS under the Trump administration, combined with Musk’s aggressive approach to government reform, suggests a shift toward increased scrutiny and restructuring of federal agencies. However, with legal battles intensifying, the fate of the access tosensitive financial data remains uncertain, The Washington Post concludes. It has been reported that the IRS is set to lay off thousands of employees this week as part of its restructuring initiative. The move aligns with broader government-wide layoffs under the Donald Trump administration’s cost-cutting measures. It is unclear whether the IRS will grant the DogE team access to its Integrated Data Retrieval System, which contains taxpayer accounts. A judge has extended a court order blocking such access while further legal proceedings unfold, but no such access had been granted as of Sunday evening.
