Washington Post: Democratic senators demand FEMA answer for reported security breach
By Brianna Sacks and Kim Bellware
A dozen U.S. senators from states recently affected by natural disasters have sent a letter to the Federal Emergency Management Agency demanding answers about a potential security breach by the U.S. DOGE Service, a move that comes a week after The Washington Post reported that a small team from DOGE whose members lacked security clearance accessed FEMA’s network containing private and sensitive information of tens of thousands of disaster victims.
The Friday letter, viewed by The Washington Post and led by Democratic Sens. Peter Welch (Vermont) and Alex Padilla (California), notes that hundreds of thousands of Americans affected by natural disasters must provide FEMA with their personal information to qualify for disaster relief.
“They did not do so with the expectation that their sensitive information would be turned over to unvetted, unaccountable DOGE agents,” the senators wrote to Cameron Hamilton, the senior official performing the duties of FEMA administrator.
Addressing Musk’s previously stated desire to get rid of FEMA, the senators acknowledged the agency’s bureaucratic challenges but said reforms “do not require, or come close to justifying, the invasive measures DOGE has reportedly undertaken.”
“When disaster strikes, Americans should have confidence the government will safeguard their data, regardless of the Administration at the helm. Reports indicate you have breached that trust — perhaps in violation of federal privacy law,” the senators wrote Hamilton.
Among the answers the senators are seeking is a complete list of individuals that it authorized to access disaster victim data between Jan. 20, the first day of Trump’s administration, and Feb. 14; identification of the agency to which each individual who accessed the network belongs; and what precautions, if any, were taken to safeguard disaster victims’ data.
Other senators joining Welch and Padilla on the letter are Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont), Adam Schiff (D-California), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Martin Heinrich (D-New Mexico), Ron Wyden (D-Oregon), Edward J. Markey (D-Massachusetts), Chris Van Hollen (D-Maryland), Richard Blumenthal (D-Connecticut), Jeff Merkley (D-Oregon), and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minnesota).
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