DOGE-Affiliated Goons Lock Out Civil Servants from Key Databases!

Reports emerged on Friday that aides of Elon Musk—billionaire supporter of Republican President Donald Trump and head of the Department of Government Efficiency—have restricted access for seasoned civil servants to computer systems holding sensitive information on millions of federal employees. This action has sparked concern among critics who view it as part of the administration’s broader attempts to consolidate authoritarian influence over the federal bureaucracy.

A source from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), who chose to remain anonymous, expressed to Reuters that they are completely in the dark about the activities of Musk’s aides with the computer and data systems, which has raised significant alarm.

“The lack of oversight is a major issue,” the source noted, emphasizing the severe cybersecurity risks and potential for data breaches this situation introduces.

On the same day, The Washington Post reported that David Lebryk, a career official who has served since the George H.W. Bush administration, plans to retire after a dispute with Musk’s allies over access to critical financial systems.

As the Post documented:

Managed by the Bureau of the Fiscal Service, these essential systems oversee the transfer of over $6 trillion annually to individuals, businesses, and others across the nation. These systems are crucial for disbursing Social Security and Medicare benefits, federal employee salaries, payments to government contractors and grant recipients, and tax refunds, among many other functions.

This conflict highlights the escalating tensions between Musk and the federal workforce as the Trump administration approaches the end of its second week. Musk has been attempting to gain extensive control over the federal government’s operations by placing trusted associates in key positions at various agencies, including the Office of Personnel Management and the General Services Administration.

On Friday, the Trump administration commanded the General Services Administration to formulate a plan to cut its budget by 50%, leaving senior officials visibly dismayed, according to journalist Ken Klippenstein.

Lebryk’s retirement signals what many critics have feared: a forceful effort by Musk and other Trump loyalists to marginalize career civil servants, aiming to replace them with figures who will unquestioningly serve the president’s agenda, as Trump has often leaned towards authoritarian practices.

An article on Friday by Gizmodo‘s Matt Novak pointed out that while the reasons behind the Department of Government Efficiency’s interest in these systems are unclear, the implications are troubling as they suggest an attempt to meddle with vital governmental operations without legislative approval.

“Lebryk’s exit seems tied to the intrusion by DOGE-associated aggressors wanting access to these payment systems,” stated Novak.

Common Dreams earlier reported that Trump supporters in the OPM and Office of Management and Budget, linked to the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 for a far-right shift in the federal government, are aggressively pushing to overhaul the civil service.

Don Moynihan, a professor at the University of Michigan’s Ford School of Public Policy, told Reuters on Friday that this isolation prevents anyone outside of Musk’s close circle at OPM from understanding their actions.

Despite its name, DOGE is not a federal department but a presidential advisory committee. Critics, including Novak, have accused the billionaire Trump supporter of extending his influence across nearly all governmental agencies.

“Congress traditionally holds the budgetary power,” Novak wrote. “Yet, it seems DOGE is attempting to usurp it.”

Congressman Gerry Connolly (D-Va.), a senior member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, expressed concerns that Trump and his Project 2025 allies are using every tactic available to bypass traditional civil service protections, aiming to replace expert civil servants with partisan supporters.

“The real losers here, as is often the case with Donald Trump, are the American people, who will witness government services and benefits being distributed not by impartial civil servants but by partisan operatives,” Connolly remarked.

Mark Mazur, a former senior official in the Treasury Department under Obama and Biden, spoke to the Post on Friday, highlighting that the use of federal payment systems for political purposes is unprecedented.

“It has never been manipulated to serve a partisan agenda before,” Mazur emphasized. “Bad intentions must be in place for that to happen.”