Neal Statement on GAO Report Exposing Data Security Failures at Treasury

WASHINGTON, DC-Ways and Means Committee Ranking Member Richard E. Neal (D-MA) released the following statement after a newly released GAO report requested by Ways and Means Democrats found inadequate security measures at the Treasury Department:

"When the president and his cabinet started treating Americans' most sensitive data as their next profit center, with only their own enrichment in mind, Ways and Means Democrats began sounding the alarm and asking for accountability. For over a year, we have warned about the dangers and consequences of DOGE meddling in that data, and now, GAO has confirmed our worst fears. Treasury failed to put basic safeguards in place to protect this sensitive data, and even more troubling, there has already been at least one instance of a DOGE member failing to properly secure it.

"Republicans have been silent, and in some cases, even made excuses as DOGE mishandles data time and again, but tomorrow, they are taking it one step further. Chairman Comer is planning to move ahead with H.R. 8463, a bill that would only exacerbate data concerns by combining even more worker, taxpayer, and Social Security data into a single database. This is a grave mistake that will have dire consequences for all Americans.

"Instead of treating this with the urgency it demands, Treasury is only agreeing to half of GAO's recommendations, leaving vulnerabilities unaddressed and Americans' data exposed. While we thank GAO for their thorough work, this report only examined a limited period last year, raising even more questions about security procedures in the time since. Treasury, and the federal government-at large, must act immediately to implement every single one of GAO's recommendations before the consequences get even worse.

Read the GAO report HERE.

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