ELON MUSK HAS REPORTEDLY SENT A DOGE EMPLOYEE TO MAKE VA CUTS, SPARKING CONCERN
Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency are moving to cut the budget for Veteran Affairs. In order to cut costs for over 2 million dollars of the federal budget, Elon Musk has been eyeing to make changes to the Department of Veteran Affairs, excluding the military-required budget or post-service care.
Elon Musk is now a very public figure, beyond his business ventures and directly due to his work in the U.S. government. This is why many people are so concerned about his access to sensitive data belonging to Veterans.
Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is now accessing everything from healthcare records, to benefits, and more concerning Vets and Americans as a whole.
Concerns Rise Over Elon Musk’s Access to Sensitive Veterans Data
Elon Musk and DOGE received access to a wide variety of Veterans' data, including VA benefits, Medicare/Medicaid payment records, Social Security information, and more.
This information became available after Musk had gained access to the U.S. Treasury Department’s system, which provides government payments.
Therefore, if you’re receiving payments from the federal government in any capacity, your information is accessible, and there are concerns that you may have this funding blocked while DOGE reviews whether or not it’s a part of wasteful spending.
One VA spokesperson verified that one young man had been working for Elon Musk and DOGE, a department made by Elon Musk. The young men started to work and were granted access to information on the department’s computer systems.
The Department of Government Efficiency personnel would only focus on improving the efficiency and smooth flow of the VA performance and not interfere with the VA beneficiary's data, as stated by the department's press secretary Pete Kasperowics, as a statement just to ease public people's information.
Concerns are pouring in from experts and lawmakers about the cybersecurity aspect of such moves, obvious privacy concerns, and the dilemma of having a billionaire businessman decide the fate of benefits for Veterans who defended this country.
Removing Wasteful Spending by the DOGE
Musk is running DOGE when he isn’t sending things to space, creating innovative vehicles, or combining both hobbies by losing a Tesla Roadster in the heavens.
The idea behind DOGE is simple—destroy wasteful spending within the government. Due to the unforeseen happening at the VA, taxpayers lost as much as 466.3 billion dollars spent in the U.S. back in 2023 on defense contracts.
"Obviously, DOGE is trying to stop your tax dollars from being stolen for waste and fraud," wrote Musk online on X, formally known as Twitter, another company he owns.
Right now, DOGE maintains close ties to his business ventures, operating with many young staff members who used to work for Musk previously.
The Capital Research Center launched the DOGE files to document the government's careless use of the dollar tax in the federal government. These actions include thoroughly investigating who is responsible for the wasteful federal tax dollars.
Veterans’ data is being accessed to help ensure taxes are spent correctly, and staff can’t make changes as of this writing, though blocks may come later in the process.
Veteran’s Data Privacy Concerns
A warning statement by a Washington Democrat, Sen. Patty Murray, stated that we should all be deeply concerned about giving Elon Musk and DOGE employees free access at VA. This statement warned the public as she heard the Elon Musk administration barged into the Veteran Affairs Department.
In addition, Murray added that Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency already have access to and in hand the personal financial information of every veteran receiving benefits, such as persons with disability or benefits in the education sector, due to their illegal search at the Department of Treasury.
Because of the severity of concern surrounding the issue, there is now a lawsuit filed against the Treasury Department from multiple federal employee unions and the Alliance for Retired Americans who believe it violates federal privacy laws.
There are concerns for everyone in the U.S., but these elevate even higher within the Veteran community due to the private information involving their health, benefits, and finances, which are often entangled with the federal government.
Legislation to Protect Veteran Data
Cutting the benefits for Veterans is a serious concern, as the fight to protect Veteran data continues.
Beyond the ongoing legal battle involving the Treasury Department, lawmakers are looking to push legislation hindering “unlawful meddling in the Treasury Department's payment systems."
Democrats from New York, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer are introducing a bill named Stop the Steal.
If successful, the bill will aim to stop the ongoing access Musk and his team gained to the data of Veterans and the rest of Americans.
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