U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff is working to safeguard veterans’ private information, asking questions about Elon Musk’s access to veterans’ medical records.
Sen. Ossoff, Ranking Member of the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Subcommittee, led a group of Senators pressing VA Secretary Doug Collins to protect veterans, their families, and VA staff from unprecedented access to sensitive information by Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency (“DOGE”).
Sen. Ossoff is joined by Senate Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-WA) and fellow Subcommittee members Senators Jack Reed (D-RI), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), and Gary Peters (D-MI).
According to a recent report by Military.com, “DOGE” employees had accessed VA computer systems at the Department’s headquarters in Washington, D.C.
“We understand that personnel reporting to Mr. Musk have recently visited VA facilities,”Sen. Ossoff and the group wrote to VA Secretary Collins. “Senators, veterans, and members of the public have serious concerns regarding Mr. Musk’s extraordinary and unprecedented activities and the lack of transparency surrounding them, including his potential access to and handling of sensitive or personal information.”
“Accordingly, we seek specific information regarding VA’s engagement with Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency (“DOGE”),” they continued.
Sen. Ossoff and the group requested a list of “DOGE” personnel who have visited VA facilities, the systems they accessed, and whether veteran data — including medical and service records — may have been viewed, copied, or transferred. The group also requested that Secretary Collins reveal the nature of the agreement under which “DOGE” personnel are governed by in their engagement with the VA.
Sen. Ossoff continues working to protect Georgia’s veterans and ensure that their vulnerable data is safeguarded.
Earlier this week, Sen. Ossoff and a group of Senators urged the Trump Administration to resume the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) work investigating and enforcing protections for military families and veterans against predatory lenders.
Last month, Sen. Ossoff announced expanded benefits for thousands of Georgia veterans through the PACT Act, including those battling bladder cancer, ureter cancer, other genitourinary cancers, acute and chronic leukemias, and multiple myeloma thanks to the bipartisan PACT Act he helped pass into law in 2022.
Click here to read the Senators’ inquiry.
