Press Releases

Readout of Meeting between Speaker Johnson and Reps. Chu, Moore on DOGE Access to Americans’ Info, Tax Dollars

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Gwen Moore (WI-04) and Reps. Judy Chu (CA-28), Members of the House Ways and Means Committee, sought to join a scheduled meeting with Speaker Mike Johnson, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and Ways and Means Chairman Rep. Jason Smith (MO-07) in the Speaker’s Office. After meeting with Speaker Johnson, Reps. Moore and Chu held a gaggle with assembled reporters, and then issued the following statement:

“We went to the Speaker’s Office to demand answers from Sec. Bessent as to why he allowed the richest man in the world – and the President’s biggest donor in 2024 – full, unfettered access to Americans’ personal information, including their Social Security numbers and our tax dollars. Speaker Johnson hid Sec. Bessent from us, and he expressed unacceptable ignorance as to why Musk and his band of hackers were given free reign over the computer and payment systems responsible for delivering Social Security checks, tax refunds, and federal funds to our communities. We’ll keep working to stand up for Americans and demand those answers, and we politely requested the Speaker join us to put an end to this dangerous, rogue operation. Suggestions of oversight hearings next week aren’t enough. The American people demand their information be protected now.”

Click here for video of the post-meeting gaggle.

See below for the transcript of the post-meeting gaggle:

TRANSCRIPT:

 CONGRESSWOMAN JUDY CHU: We just came from the Speaker's office. Our incredible Congress member, Gwen Moore, forced her way in there, and then I got to go in right behind her. And she was already confronting Speaker Johnson about Treasury Secretary Bessent and the stealing of Americans private information, tax information that should never be stolen and given to people -- This billionaire, Elon Musk.

CONGRESSWOMAN GWEN MOORE: I think we were trying to make the point that if we were at the airport, the people who are selling pretzels and cookies would have to have an FBI clearance in order to be able to go beyond the gate area. This is unprecedented. It is illegal.

We also brought up the point of how so many Republicans last session, session before last, were having a fit when they thought that Donald Trump's tax information had been leaked. None of us leaked it, but somehow someone got a hold of his former President Trump, then former President Trump's tax information and we thought, as Democrats and Republicans, that that was criminal activity.

And now we have a young man who has walked into the Treasury Department stuck in drives that can be used on remote laptop computers. And we don't know why they've accessed this information. What information that they have, including sensitive military spending and activities, we don't know. And what was most disturbing to me is that the Speaker has no idea what they've been doing.

And they promised us hearings on this. But the crime is in process right now.

CONGRESSWOMAN JUDY CHU: So, remember, there is a law that says that nobody other than treasury officials can get the private tax information of Americans in this country. And I sat in Ways and Means hearing after hearing where Republicans have expressed outrage about this. And where's the outrage now that this billionaire can go in and get the private tax information just on a whim and do whatever he wants with that information?

That's not right.

CONGRESSWOMAN GWEN MOORE: And, you know, We have heard evidence that not only are they accessing information, but they have programming experience. People are in there with the ability to manipulate the data and to change settings. And that is another area. We raised this with Speaker Johnson, that we were concerned about that as well.

REPORTER: What was the Speaker's response to himself?

He's saying he's trying to find out. So, I said that that was very distressing to me that even you don't know, and you're the speaker of the House and you have no idea what is happening.

He actually said he has the same questions himself and that this was his first meeting with the Treasury Secretary. but how could you be speaker of the House and know what's going on when this huge thing is going on where millions of Americans private information is being stolen.

REPORTER: Did Bessent say anything?

CONGRESSWOMAN JUDY CHU: He wasn't in the room, we were talking to the speaker the whole time.

CONGRESSWOMAN GWEN MOORE: He was brought in through the back door just like all the data is being brought in through the back door.

REPORTER: And you briefly mentioned that the speaker said there'd be hearings on this?

CONGRESSWOMAN GWEN MOORE: Yes. Next week. But by then all the data would have and should have and could have and it's already been downloaded and put on thumb drives which means it's not on the mainframe only and they have engineers in there who are programmers they're not just the secretary in the office putting the thumb drive in and pulling it out they're programmers.

CONGRESSWOMAN JUDY CHU: So he said there will be an oversight hearing next week on this issue but next week this is this could be seven days from now how much could be stolen in that period of time? I think a lot.